SAO Apricot Spring
by AmosTheBaka
Summary: "What are you talking about, Nii-chan? Don't be stupid..." My words weren't confident and I couldn't look at him in the eye. What was he talking about? He's the strongest of us three, there's no way something could..." First-person POV, OCs Haru Hayai and Kyou Komoto, with occasional Asuna x Kirito. Story of friendship, love, and survival. Rated T for language, some adult themes.
1. Hayai Brothers

**November 30, 2022. Floor 1.**

**Haru Hayai:  
**

I absentmindedly stared into the virtual flickering candle that lay atop table of our booth. The inn was nearly empty, with the other players either out training or trying to live their lives as if the game weren't real. Maru sat across from me, silent, his eyes locked on the table. Karu sat beside me, angrily tapping his fingers on the table.

We had been trying to decide what we should do next for the past half hour. Training was an obvious choice, but we had been doing plenty of that in the last three weeks since the game started. At level nine Karu was currently the highest level of the three of us due to his tank-like playstyle. Maru had been taking on smaller monsters at our request, like boars and wild dogs. He had decided he wanted to be a macer, which is a particularly slow class to level due to its need of dexterity as well as strength, two totally different categories. So naturally, he rested at the lowest between us, at five. I chose a rare playstyle; using a thin, lightweight, longsword, I decided to be focused mainly on dexterity and agility, sacrificing defense for speed. However, I shouldn't be too easy to kill because I'm also planning on maxing my vitality attribute. Karu says I have an aggressive, in-your-face attitude that blends in perfectly with my dexterity. So, I'm proud of my seven levels of progress so far.

The cafe part of the inn was rather dark, aside from the lanterns lighting the bar area where the NPC stood, and the candles on each of the tables. I sat closest to the window, looking out from time to time to watch the NPCs or players walk about in the night. _They all seem so troubled_, I thought. _Sure, this isn't an ideal situation to be in, trapped in a game...but they could try to make the best of it._

Karu was the first to break the silence, "We've been making good progress so far," he put his wrists on the back of his head, resting them there, "But we need to do better. I think we should help on the frontlines."

I shivered at the thought. I know we can't just stay like this forever, doing nothing but helping ourselves, but I don't want to die. He spoke again, "We need to get Maru to start fighting higher level monsters if he's going to progress at all."

Shocked, I spoke up, "What are you saying Karu? You know the dangers that come with those monsters," my voice was a bit too high so I lowered it, "His health isn't even past four hundred. The monsters we fight could put him in the red in two hits." I put a fist to my forehead as if to mime my frustration.

"I'm not talking about the ones we fight, Haru," he reassured me," I meant the monsters his level; there's no way I'd let him fight our level mobs." He smiled at Maru. Karu had a routine to get people to see his way. He'd look at them with sweet eyes, maybe angle his head to the light source so the light-brown hair we all had shined, and give you his sweetest smile. I've fallen victim to this routine more than I'd like to admit.

"Why not, Nii-chan?" Maru asked quietly, not looking up from the table, "I want to help everyone just as much as you do." Maru's voice was shy and unsure, but had signs of a youthful sincerity.

"They're far too dangerous, Maru." I spoke softly, as not to hurt his feelings, "We'll start you off with mobs a few levels higher than what you are now. Maybe level eight wolves to the west? I hear they drop a pretty decent sum of Col."

Karu chimed in, "They also drop wolf-skin cloaks. The defense on those are supposed to be outstanding for a drop by such a low-level mob."

I smiled, "Perfect for Karu, right Ma-chan? Our big brother will need all the defense he can get if he's going to get all of us out of here."

Maru's attitude quickly shifted, "I can't wait to tell everyone at school about my big brothers who saved me and ten thousand players from that Kayaba guy!" He looked up from the table, smiling wide at me. His eyes that the three of us shared seemed to shine with a brilliant light.

We had received many comments on how similar we all looked. Although none of us are twins in any meaning of the word, we all share green eyes, and unusually light brown hair. However, I've been told by many of my family members that I take after my mother, with my rounded chin and small cheekbones. Maru and Karu were cursed with the looks of my father. A longer face than mine, with thin cheeks and long cheekbones. Not saying that they couldn't pull it off, but it made Karu seem much older than the eighteen years he actually was, and Maru, well Maru will look cute no matter what obstacles you put in his way. His innocence and youth was adorable, to say the least.

I could only imagine the guilt Karu felt for bringing us into the game. I had already asked him plenty of times about the beta-test. He was lucky to be one of the thousand players to be in it, but he says they never mentioned anything about this turning into a death game in the beta. If they would have I doubt many players would be in the same situation as they are.

Karu sat up with a sudden burst of life, "So it's settled. Tomorrow we'll go west so Maru-chan can progress enough to fight the mobs Haru-chan and I fight."

Maru and I looked at each other then said in unison, "Right!"

"Well let's get to bed boys," Karu said as he stood outside of our booth, "It's pretty late, and we've got to get up early if we're going to secure a training spot." Maru protested going to bed, but Karu shushed him quickly, pointing to the stairs that lead to the inn's rooms. Maru jetted up the stairs, pretending to be more upset than he probably was. I remembered that we still needed to pay the NPC for another night, so I waved Karu off to the rooms and told him I'd meet him there with the key.

As I walked towards the bar where the NPC stood, I was surprised to hear my older brothers voice behind me.

"Haru-chan," I got the key and turned around quickly, as he looked away from me, he started again, "I didn't want to mention this in front of Maru, but..." he paused for a few seconds, "I want you to know that if anything happens to me, and we're separated, I trust that you'll look after yourself and Maru as best you can." An obvious knowing and sadness stained his words. I felt my eyes widen.

"What are you talking about, Nii-chan? Don't be stupid..." My words weren't confident and I couldn't look at him in the eye. What was he talking about? He's the strongest of us three, there's no way something could...

Surprised by my attitude, his face became serious and he looked me in the eyes, "Well, I just mean that if this game happens to... ya know," He looked down once again.

I shook my head, "Stop, Karu-chan." I walked towards him and hugged him tightly, burying my head in his royal blue tunic. He wrapped his arms around me and ruffled my hair, "Let's get to bed. Maru-chan might be asleep in the hall by now." I smiled up at him and nodded.


	2. Dog Days

**November 31, 2022. Floor 1.**

**Haru Hayai:**

As we ventured west towards the Persephone Mountains, I started to shiver more and more thanks to the unrealistic dropping temperature. Although it was fairly warm back in town, the emerald, flowery hills and valleys bordering the mountains were getting increasingly cold as we got nearer. We had been walking now for about an hour, give or take. We've been doing our best to avoid monsters who's levels were too high for us, and letting Maru get the last hit bonus on the mobs that he could take out. Karu looked at me, smiling, noticing my uncontrollable shivering, "Let's equip the cloaks those wild-boars dropped," he suggested, "They won't do much, but at least it's something to keep us warm."

We each went into our inventories and equipped the black cloaks the boars had dropped. We learned about the drops from various information brokers back in town. People like to feel like they're helping, without risking their lives in the process. I guess they are helping us, in a way. If there were no information brokers, we wouldn't know which mobs dropped what. If there were no merchants, we'd all be broke, due to the incredibly high prices that the NPCs charge for virtually any kind of equipment. The non-players were the ones who really upset me, though. The players on the frontlines are risking their lives for everyone, while the non-players are acting as if this isn't real. As if Kayaba Akihiko didn't trap us here.

Maru interrupted my thoughts and began talking about how cool we looked walking together with the black cloaks. "It's like we're all assassins on a mission," he said boastfully.

"We are, kind of," I agreed, "We're on a mission to kill wolves, so, I guess you could say we're assassins for that."

He laughed, "We're wolf assassins! Minus the wolf part," He put his finger to his chin and mumbled to himself, "Being a wolf assassin...would make me a wolf...who's an assassin.."

Karu and I looked at each other, joking about how he was trying to process too much at the same time. Maru became offended, fussing and saying that his brain can process just fine. As we walked over a particularly steep hill, I turned my attention to the mountains and stopped. I threw my arm out to my side to halt Maru and Karu. Nodding forward, they became quiet at the sight.

Ahead of us amongst the frozen and grassy fields were five wolf packs, separated by a few hundred meters each. Each pack consisted of six to eight gray and black furred wolves. Their blood-red eyes screaming vicious, their mandibles shook with saliva. We must've waltzed into their battle-engagement range because they darted in our direction, splitting into three packs of two. With no time to give commands or advice, Karu stated simply, "Stick together and keep your eyes on every direction," as we marched down the hill towards the wolves, weapons raised and pulses racing.

I gripped tightly my longsword and looked to my right to see Maru fighting off a few pups. With each hit landed on the young dogs Maru sent them flying with his blunt mace. Ahead of me, three larger wolves inched closer and closer. I exhaled, dashing forward. I slashed the smallest with a quick horizontal to vertical defensive move. Shattering it into countless shards, I seized my momentum and spun to the right, hitting the wolf next to me with a diagonal attack. It stepped back, but I gave it no time to recover. I thrusted my sword upwards, stabbing it through the neck. I turned around once more, and the next wolf pounced, on instant reaction I gave it a quick kick to the stomach, knocking it on its side. I hastily made shards of it with a finishing stab through the head.

I looked off to the right, Maru was now attacking some adolescent wolves by the looks of it. Larger than a pup, smaller than an adult. Further off, Karu was fighting a group of adults, making quick experience of them and taking no hits whatsoever. As expected of his playstyle.

I raced to the closest group of adults. I activated a sword skill that let me spin my sword in front of me, creating a blur of steel, _Waking Steel_. This made easy work of the first few dogs. I leaped forward, bringing my sword down from above me, cutting the next beast in half. Another went down, and another, and another. This quickly became routine. As every monster does when training. We continued like this for a slow, tedious two hours. Picking up petty drops and earning a decent sum of Col.

We had all leveled once since we started.

"Nii-chan! Look! I'm almost level seven!" Maru shouted at me as he ran towards a wolf that was larger than usual. It took me a second to realize that this was the Alpha, the mini-boss of the wolf mobs. Its eyes were void white, resembling blindness. Its two front fangs were as large as my legs, and dripped slobber onto its heavy dark coating.

"No-no-no-no Maru! Get back!" I frantically raced towards him, "Karu! I'll need some help over here!" Karu dementedly sprinted off in Maru's direction. Maru swatted the Alpha with his mace, but the Alpha hadn't has much as stumbled. Maru realized his situation and nervously tripped backwards. The beast raised his left arm, claws beaming. My shadow casted over Maru, a sign that my body was completely shielding his, a small smile grew on my face, a relief. I can't feel pain, but as the claws ripped through my coat shattering it, something, not pain, but maybe its cousin took over my body, as my knees nearly gave out. My sword was stabbing into the ground, with my body limping over it for support. My health dropped from green to yellow, and my heart pounded trying to escape from my chest. I pulled upwards on my sword as Karu came to my side.

"You okay?" He asked, drawing his great-sword.

"I'll be fine." I'm okay, I'll live for myself. For Karu. For Maru.

I jumped into the air despite my risky health, flipping backwards and landing on the giant wolf's neck. I dug my feet into its fur as it lashed around, I held onto a long strand of hair with my left hand gripping mercilessly, and began slashing with my right. Vertical to horizontal to diagonal combos, along with Karu's attacks diminished the Alpha's health to the red at a blazing speed. I yelled to Karu to back up as I held my sword near my side and slightly above my head. My sword was covered with a dark pink light, as I pushed off its back and aimed for the Alpha's nose. Landing on the snout, I gave it one last vertical strike, the skill _Executioner's Word_.

The beast fell on its side, breaking into thousands of blue and green shards. A window appeared in front of me, 'Congratulations! You've earned the Last Attack Rare Bonus Item: _Wolf's Sentence_'.

I turned around to see Maru in tears. He ran into me, hugging me while burying his face into my chest. I couldn't understand what he was saying through the tears and the fabric. He pulled his head back, "I almost got you killed, Nii-chan! I'm so sorry, don't hate me, please, please," he reburied his face into my cloak, "I'll never fight a wolf ever again."

I patted his head, "It wasn't your fault. The adult wolves and the Alpha look pretty similar. I probably would have done the same thing." Although they didn't look like each other at all.

Karu used a healing crystal on me, restoring me back to 500 HP.

"What was the last hit bonus item?" Karu asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot," I selected and equipped the sword from my inventory, "This thing."

On either side of the silver handle was a carved wolf head. The mouths were open, but showed no teeth. The eyes of the beast were decorated with shining but subtle ruby pieces. The blade was thin, yet heavy. The tip shined brightly when the light hit it, casting a blinding glare.

Karu whistled, "Damn," he commented while resting the back of his head on his wrists, "That's a fine looking blade. Too bad I don't use longswords. Consider yourself lucky, Haru-chan."

Maru brought his head out from my chest to look at the blade, "Wow!" His eyes lit up with a childish excitement, "That's so cool Haru-chan!" Nice to see how quickly his attitude changes when something shiny is involved. I swapped my old sword for the '_Wolf's Sentence_', making it my primary. I smiled at the silver wolf heads, pleased with my performance.

"I guess so."

* * *

**Notes:**

I decided I was going to put ALOT of references to video games, TV shows or other animes some of my chapters, if not all. So this is where I'll be posting the references, so you can be like 'Oh I know what he's talking about' and it'll be cool.

First off, The FanFic is called Apricot Spring, as Kyou (Main character) means Apricot in English, and Haru (Main char) means Spring.

In this chapter, the brothers go west towards the Persephone Mountains. In the video game Bioshock 2, Persephone is a prison, in which your voice through Rapture is tragically killed.

Dog Days is a reference to Kane & Lynch 2 : Dog Days.


	3. Onii Chan

**July 7, 2023. Floor 20.**

**Kyou Komoto:**

If there's one thing I'll never get over it'll probably have to be the way the sun falls over the hills leaving streaks of purple and pink strained across the skies and the way the clouds' unshapely figure always manages to stretch further than a human eye can see. I lay on top the underbrush beneath towering oaks and willows that weep around a crystal lake. The coded world around me is surreal and perky but in reality it's just a sequence of information being fed to my brain. I'll congratulate Kayaba on this amazing world he's crafted; I'd still kill him though. The digital sun sank deeper and deeper into Aincrad, hiding behind hills and seas of tree.

Maybe I can nap. Waiting all day for a passerby is truly tedious and today I've been so unfortunate when it comes to match-ups. I've seen maybe fourteen tanks pass by, but tanks aren't my type. Tanks take well to poison too much, or any player with a high vitality number. What would be good is if a mage would waltz down, drunk and unarmored. And alone. That would be nice, but there is no magic in Sword Art Online, so I assume there are no mages. Maybe a player with a stat-build somewhat similar to mine would be something reasonable to hope for. But then again I'm wishing for my fortune, and at the same time the misfortune of a stranger, so I doubt the Aincrad gods and goddesses favor a misfit like myself.

I sulk deeper into the underbrush then immediately after hear a rustling sound roughly ten meters in front of me. A branch snapped in two, followed by hushed whispers.

"Shh! What if there are bandits around?! Stop being so loud Onii-chan!"

Onii-chan. What kind of relationship could they possibly have? I mentally shrug. I glide from the underbrush to the branches in a swift movement. I've done this a million times before and have it nearly mastered in terms of speed vs. silence.

"Stop moving," a wiser sounding man's voice commanded. Onii-chan's listening skill must be blistering high to have suspected me. Or maybe he's paranoid. I pushed my index finger and thumb together pulling down to open my interface on the lowest possible brightness available. It's not a practical visibility but I have it completely memorized and have no need to even look at it to select what I need whenever I may need it. I coast effortlessly to to the edge of the oak branch, as the party trails closer. I've done this dozens of times before, so now I wasn't nearly as nervous as I was the first five or six times. I tied a recorder crystal to my cheapest and most dispensable knife available, starting its audio and flinging the kunai with as much force that was possible without activating a sword skill. The blade cut the air landing modestly off-target on a tree about four meters behind my game.

"Help! Help! HELP! Please," the crystal bluffed.

Onii-chan and his senpai immediately turn their heads and an appropriate smile found way to me. With a sleight of hand two thin needles fall from my chainmail sleeve to the webbing of my fingers. I make a fist gripping them tightly and assumed the position for the system to override my movements and make them inhuman. The needles glow a dark purple and fly towards the startled prey. "Never turn your back to a projectile user," I say aloud as both the needles find way to the back of their necks. Both their health bars stayed exactly in place but unlike their HP their bodies fell immediately. I have exactly one hundred and twenty seconds to rummage through and take as I see fit.

"Who are you?!" Senpai screamed at me worriedly. Onii-chan was quick to comfort his friend.

"Daitaro-san," his smooth voice spoke unshaken, "He won't hurt you". I stood between them and smiled looking at one then the other a number of times.

"Onii-chan is right, Daitaro-san, I promise." I folded myself at my knees hovering over the ground in reach of both of them. I looked through their virtual packs and was displeased at the pitiful sum of Col Onii-chan had. I left his inventory alone, and then directed my attention to Daitaro-san. His inventory was not different than Onii-chan's, aside from one notable item, a treasure map. I took it into an empty space in my inventory, and placed beside both of them a couple of healing potions. "What you're experiencing right now is a specially made paralysis poison. With a alchemy level high enough you're able to make just about anything your imagination limits you to. It lasts one hundred and twenty seconds exactly, and if the both of you would have had a higher vitality then the poison would be much weaker," I opened my potion selection. "Here are two potions, made by me. As long as they are in your inventory whenever you are paralyzed they will automatically come into effect and negate the paralysis, so long as the potion is stronger. They are A-rank, so unless you're fighting an S-rank monster there's nothing to worry about in terms of being paralyzed," twenty more seconds and they'll regain control of their bodies.

"Thank you," Onii-chan mumbled with his eyes closed. Ten seconds left.

"For God's sake don't fall for recorder crystals again."

"Yeah, I know."

I scanned the immediate area for hostiles. Seeing that there were none I fled as fast as my deft legs would carry me.


	4. Lucy San

**December 3, 2022. Floor 1.**

Two thousand lives have been taken since the beginning of this damn game.

Either suicide, or foolish beginner mistakes. Some people couldn't handle it, I suppose. But only a month, and the population is already down by twenty percent. That baffles as well as disgusts me.

I heard that the second floor was opened today by a beta-tester. I'm surprised that it took them this long to open the next floor, but since I wasn't exactly looking for it I shouldn't complain.

We're planning on using the teleport area to get to the next floor tomorrow. People are still piling in, so the good training spots are more than likely taken. But Karu says he met someone that's willing to let us into a frontline guild. I think he called it Cygnus. I'm not exactly ecstatic about joining a guild. People are a hassle in this game, with the PKers, the beggers, and the non-players, I'd rather just go my own way.

I decided to walk around the town while Karu and Maru are back at the inn. Oil lamps lit the streets, casting an orange tint on the pavement, and shop lights shined through their windows. Due to the second floor being opened, the town is practically empty. Aside from a few stragglers hanging back to finish off a quest or go on a training marathon. So it's peaceful. "Oi, Lucy-san!" Somewhat.

Across from the bench I'm sitting on is a large fountain that runs throughout the days and nights, passed that is a narrow alleyway illuminated by the dim blue light of the moon, a few dark shadows waddle drunkenly, clinging to eachother while slurring their words. One voice seems to be yelling at someone, "Luuuuccyy-saann!" he sings, "I know it's you, ya dumb bas..tard. Come give me a kiss!"

I look around, wondering who he thinks he's talking to. To the right is a figure that I hadn't noticed before in a dark red cloak with the hood up, he walks towards the drunk men with his head facing the ground.

_A friend? _I shrug, _Doesn't concern me. _I turn my attention to the sky, staring up at the virtual stars. These floors must be huge if they're able to hold their own atmosphere.

A loud thud catches my attention, and I look back at the alley. The man who must've been the one talking has the hooded figure up against the wall, his fist around their neck, speaking low enough so I can't hear him, but obviously he was pissed.

I sigh and stand, _Might as well do something about it._ I begin to walk towards the alley, slow enough so they don't hear me coming, but fast enough so I can be there before he does any real damage to the man against the wall.

As I get closer I hear the drunk man speak, so I stop, "You think you can.. skip out on me like that? Not.. me baby," He pauses to burp, "I'll forgive you on one condition," He pulls the hood off of the figure, revealing an angelic face, far too attractive to be a man, unless I've been wrong about my sexuality my fifteen years of life, "Give Dalo a kiss." He puckers his lips, leaning in.

The girl turns her head away, but manages to bite the hand around her neck.

The large man yelps, dropping the girl, she lands on her butt, struggling to get away.

"She bit me! The slut bit me!" He waves his hand around, shaking off the pain I'm assuming. His friends start to laugh, through their guffaws words try to form, but fail. I had no idea you could get drunk in this game, they thought of everything.

The larger man decides to make an example of her, giving her a strong kick to the stomach. The girl coughs, spitting up a bit.

_Jesus.. _I think, I walked towards the alley at a faster pace.

The man bends over, his hand reaching for the girls cloak.

I nervously grabbed his wrist, "That's enough." _Ohh shit, what am I doing.._

I looked at the drunk man's face, his eyes were half way open. His face looked pretty young, not much older than me. But the years definitely weren't too kind to him. He was ugly, and I was scared.

"The hell are," he burped, "you?" his voice seemed to rise and lower with every other word spoken.

"Curfew," _Clever!_ I thought, "Go home."

He pulled his hand away and grunted, "Whatever," He slurred, "I was getting bored anyway."

He motioned to his friends and began to walk back up the alley. I sighed in relief, "Well I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting that to work." The girl was on her feet, the dim light rested on less than half of her face, which made my hopes of seeing it again fade away. Her dark blue eyes showed that she was annoyed. Her hair was curly and a dark blonde, possibly golden, but the light was making it hard to see.

"You okay?" I asked, I tried my best to sound confident, but failed miserably.

She nodded her head, "I didn't need your help. But thanks."

Irritated, I thought,_ Yeah, 'cause you totally had it under control._

I pretended to ignore her, "Friends of yours?" I asked, nodding down the alley.

"I guess so," she shrugged, "We fought in the same party in the first dungeon. They were drinking a little too much, celebrating the second floor being opened, and the bigger one tried to kiss me. But I pushed him off. He didn't like that."

_Yeah, I noticed._ "Still celebrating? The floor was opened this morning. They should have gotten all of that out of their systems by now."

She began walking towards the benches where I had sat a few minutes before, "Maybe since it's the first dungeon they see it as a bigger accomplishment."

I followed a few steps behind, "What about you? Didn't you say you fought alongside them?"

"I'm not one for celebrating," she sat down, I sat beside her, "Especially with people I don't like."

I chuckled, "Jeez, you're subtle."

She offered me her hand and smiled at me, "I'm Lucy, by the way."

My cheeks flushed red and I looked at my feet, shaking her hand, "I'm Haru."

"Why aren't you on the second floor, Haru-san?"

I leaned back against the bench, beginning to stare at the stars again, "My brothers were tired when we got back from training today. So we decided to hold off on the second floor until tomorrow," I felt her eyes on me, making me a little uncomfortable, but I liked the attention, "Why aren't you? There isn't very much for us here anymore."

She yawned and began to stretch, "Well when we opened the second floor, my party wanted to let everyone on this floor know about it first. By the time we got back to the second floor, it was packed. All of the restaurants and cafes were full, so we came down here to celebrate."

"For almost a full day?" I smiled, staring off into space. Whoever celebrates for that long must not have believed that this game was really beatable.

_We'll prove them wrong, won't we guys? _I thought. Karu, Maru and I will get out of here together, and free everyone from this death-trap of a video game.

She looked at me with an irritated look in her eye, "Who are you to judge me for how long I celebrate? I didn't see _you_ at the dungeon."

I began to frantically apologize, she had a point after all, and she's the first girl I've really talked to since this game started, so I shouldn't be rude.

She looked at the fountain ahead of us, "Relax, I'm not offended." She reassured me, I gave a tired sigh of relief.

The oil lamps above us kicked on, lighting our bench and the area around us. In my mind I rejoiced, I was finally able to get a good look at her. Her face was small and innocent looking, she had a rounded chin and small, pale pink lips. Her hair was a golden blonde, curling in the middle to the end, her bangs reached her nose, but parted down the middle. Her eyes were wide, with a dark blue tint. Her cloak restricted my view of her chest, but as she looked up into the night sky, of course I took a peek. In the five years that I have been interested in girls, I've seen larger breasts. But her probable A to B cup chest was perfect for my interests.

Needless to say, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever had the chance to talk to in S.A.O. Beauty was a luxury in the real world, and due to the Nerve Gear, we all took our real life features.

She gave a loud yawn and stood up, "Well it's been nice talking to you, Haru-san." She gave me a wide smile, putting her hands behind her back.

I rubbed the back of my head, managing to squeak out, "Y-yeah.."

She bid me farewell and began to walk back towards the alley. As I watched her go, I wondered if I would ever see her again. I turned around to walk back to the inn when an idea popped into my mind.

"Lucy-san!" I called out. But she was gone.

I sighed, and slapped my forehead in frustration, _I should have added her as a friend._

* * *

__**Notes: **

****Dalo is the name of a paint marker company, or something like that. They make a graffiti marker.

Lucy is the main character in the anime, Elfen Lied.


	5. Gray n' Waste

**July 9, 2023. Floor 20.**

**Kyou Komoto:**

My footsteps were getting louder every minute that passed. Soon, I thought, I'll be able to lay in bed and sleep to my heart's content. The wind swept in brown leaves that fell from their branches, rolling across the desert-like ground. It's strange that I've never noticed this before, after walking here countless times, but the grass that grows here is such a dark green it resembles seaweed and the blades grow in individual patches so far from one another. The dirt was such a light color, flaunting its dry and malnourished state off, and frankly the trees were some sort of off-gray. I suddenly feel so cliché; I guess you can call me a 'bad guy' but to have a community of orange-players in such an ominous place seems a bit distasteful. I actually shrugged. Who cares? It's just a base, probably temporary who knows.

Mountains were visible now. Their snow-caps acted like beacons in a gray wasteland. I hate that we have to hide so far out here, that we can't just pick somewhere maybe even a little closer. My legs protested with every step I took, but I endured it, knowing I could rest all I want within the next five minutes. The trees around me began to look more familiar, and hills and mounds of dirt were becoming more common to see. I could see not too far in the distance, shrouded in an eerie-but-not-really mist was a building that looked poorly put together, but fairly large in size. Home, I thought. A relieved sigh heaved heavy from my artificial lungs. I walked through the entrance, a flag that read "Gray n' Waste" 'temporarily' substituting for a door, and was immediately greeted by a manly voice.

"Ah, Kyou-san! How did it go?" The deep monotone voice belonged to a man that went by the name Horn. Horn was undoubtedly the strongest looking man I've seen in this game so far. His veins surfaced on his skin and his sleeves couldn't fit his large arms very well. He had a Nordic look to him, was bearded and had a jawline more define than mathematics.

"Horn-san I hope you're not disappointed but I'm only coming back with enough Col to maybe feed four mouths for, at most, two days," I delivered the bad news with a plain face paired with a plain tone. Horn grunted sympathetically.

"Well come in, boy," he commanded, "We've made some changes," he smiled excitedly at me but his smile wasn't anything to marvel at, because it was missing a number of (what I imagine are) important teeth. Horn knocked on a large wooden door that sealed off most of the house. I could feel his knocks beat in my chest, and couldn't help but imagine what it must feel like the be punched by such a magnum fist. The large wooden door suddenly flung open and a skinny man who I did not recognize immediately smiled upon laying eyes on me.

"You must be Kyou-san!" I nodded. "Good, good, welcome home boy."

A smile made way to my face. Home. A man I didn't even know acknowledged me as family, as if he was worried about me while I was away, as if he cared for my safety. "Anyway," the skinny man began, "Take a look around, we've been..." he scratched his chin, "...renovating."

I looked around the newly decorated room and admired its homey feeling. The walls had torches evenly spaced out, symmetrically placed on either wall, with a great torch resting over the doorway. I felt Horn's giant fingers grip my shoulder. "I built the table myself!" he said proudly. The table was long and rectangular, taking up a fair amount of room. There were two dozen places to sit on each side, and at the heads of the table sat two throne-like chairs. The floor wasn't exactly something special, just patted down dirt, but patted down to the point that it felt more like carpet than dirt, which was good. There were goblin heads mounted randomly about the walls, which made me wonder how you'd get one of those since monsters disappear when you kill them, but I digress. The skinny man who I had met earlier bowed and began to introduce himself.

"I go by the name Elker. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You know already, but my name is Kyou. You're welcomed to call me Boy, as Horn-san does."

We shook hands and Horn showed me to my personal. Although the house was recently redecorated, it still lacked walls. As a way to compensate, wolf hides were hung like drapes from bed to bed. My 'room' was about two by three meters, bare bone to say the least. Above the bed was a simple drawer that had about twelve slots for clothes, weapons, and non-perishable items. Horn's obvious presence made itself known once again by his thunderous footsteps.

"No one but you, or whoever the owner is, knows the access code to open that drawer there," he pointed at it as if he needed to clarify, "Only people you tell will know it. I'm the original owner, since I made it with my bare hands," he held them up as if he needed to make sure I knew what his hands were, "but I can pass ownership down to you." Horn opened his menu, selected a number of things, and as a result a window opened infront of me. It read 'Do you, Kyou Komoto, hereby accept the transaction being offered to you?'. There were three options, 'Yes', 'No', and 'Details'. I stamped my finger on 'Yes', and the window closed. "Congrats on your new room, lad!" Horn smiled at me like a parent would at a child bringing home a good test grade.

"But Horn-san," I looked at him with a false sense of worry, "I don't know if I can handle the responsibility!"

His eyebrows furrowed and nose wrinkled. "C'mon, Boy, don't worry. I'll look after it while you're out," he sincerely pledged.

I couldn't help but smile at Horn's seriousness. He gripped my arms and told me about his daily adventure he had hunting, making his quest seem much more fantastic than it probably was. While he exaggerated about wrestling a griffon twice his level, exhaustion suddenly hit me, and I involuntarily fell to the stiff bed. Horn finished his story, then left without warning, leaving me to rest.

The large front entrance swung open, and by the sound of it three men had just returned from hunting. They clanked their steel weapons against each others and swore with every few words. A deeper and stronger voice rang over the others. "Shut yer' goddam mouths, the boy's sleeping!". The men sincerely apologized, and immediately after the room was engulfed in a sudden silence. I bid them goodnight from behind the pelts, and rolled over closing my eyes.


	6. Cygnus

**December 4, 2022. Floor 2.**

**Haru Hayai:**

"Where is this guy Karu-chan?" I asked impatiently, trying not to wake a sleeping Maru, who's head lays in my lap. We've been waiting for nearly an hour in the first town of the second floor for this guy from Cygnus to meet us, but he hasn't shown.

Karu sighed, "Patience, Haru-chan. This guild is supposed to have some of the highest level players in the game," _Which isn't saying much,_ I thought, "And almost all of them are tanks!" His voice rose saying this and, he had a childish school-girl look of admiration in his eye. He's been anticipating this meeting since he first met the Cygnus man a few days ago. All he ever talks about lately is how cool they are but I'm positive that he hasn't even met anyone else from the guild though.

Karu begins to talk about Cygnus again, animating the motions and adding sound effects of battles that we'll be going along with. _How manly._

I lay my head back against the bench, staring at the clouds. I zone out, daydreaming of the girl I met last night, Lucy.

_I can't seem to get her out of my head, _I thought, _it's annoying... but... do I want her out of my head?_

I think this over for a few moments, deciding that I'd rather keep her memory on tab until we meet again. She said she fought in the first floor dungeon, so maybe later on in the game we'll run into each other in another one. _Damn it... if I keep thinking about her I'll get my hopes up and that'll end up getting me no where._

Karu waves his hand in front of my face, blocking my view of the clouds, "Haru-chan, are you even listening?" He asks with a frown.

"Well, I hear you talking Nii-chan." I mentally high-five myself.

He locks his hands together and rests his head on his wrists, plopping down next to me. I ignore his pretending to be upset and look down at Maru, still asleep.

His soft sighs were rhythmic and soothing. He lay on his side with his head resting against my lap, his face was in the direction of the plaza. The town lit brightly with a morning sun and hummed with the busy rings of bartering and parties planning their adventures. The air was cold, with a slight breeze to it. As expected of December days. I began to stare up at the sky again, becoming lost in its overwhelming endlessness.

Slaps to my left arm woke me out of my daydream, I looked over to Karu standing up, greeting a robust man in white robes with cyan detailing.

"Nice to see you again, Karu-san," He said, shaking Karu's hand. His voice was deep, but he didn't look as old as he sounded. He couldn't have been over twenty-five. His face was strong and broad, his hair; a dark gray that seemed to glow in the light. His eyes were thin and dark, giving him an almost menacing look.

_Puberty must have been a bitch to you, _I smirked at the thought.

He looked down at me, "You must be the middle one Karu-san has told me so much about,"_ Middle one?_ He offered me his hand, "I'm Atlas, the right hand of Maxis."

I shook his hand, I know Karu would kill me if I were even a slight-bit rude, "I'm Haru," I introduced myself, offering him a smile, "What do you mean by 'right hand', Atlas-san?"

He scratched his chin and looked up for a moment, "Well I suppose you could say that I'm the subordinate for Maxis, who's first in command," He smiled at me again, "You'll be meeting him soon."

He noticed someone unconscious on my lap, "And who is this sleepyhead?" He chuckled, pointing at Maru.

"This is Maru-chan," Karu spoke up and softly shook Maru's arm. Maru sat up, wiping crust from his eyes. He looked around, confused. When he saw Atlas, he flinched ungracefully and clung to my coat.

"Don't worry Maru-chan," I laughed, "He won't bite." Maybe_. _

Maru looked at me with a terrified face, "He's huge!" he whispered.

"Introduce yourself, Maru-chan," Karu urged, giving him a devilish smile saying: 'Don't screw this up for me.'

Maru stood up and shook Atlas's hand, "I'm Hayai Maru, nice to meet you." He didn't look at Atlas, probably too scared. Childish fears I guess. Then again, Atlas towered over him quite a bit, so Maru's fears were pretty justified.

Atlas gave a deep, hearty laugh, beaming at us, "Maxis will like you three, let's go introduce you." He began to walk away from the plaza, towards a less populated area with rows of shops lining either side of the street.

Karu followed like a dog to his master. Maru hung on to my arm as we followed Atlas to the Cygnus base.

"We've been looking to size up for a while now," Atlas began, "We're still relatively small. We only have about ten or so members," _You call that small? _"And the majority are all strength players, so it'll be nice to have some fresh blood!" he roared enthusiastically.

Maru gripped tightly onto my arm, he looked up at me with tears forming in his eyes, "Did he say... f-fresh b-b-blood, Nii-chan?"

I chortled at his childish innocence, "It's a saying, Maru-chan," I explained, "It means they want new members."

He sniffed and wiped his eyes, "Are you sure?"

I winked, "Have I ever been wrong before?"

"Well, yeah..." he said, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"That's not the point."

"Here we are boys!" Atlas turned towards us and held his arm to the base, "Home of Cygnus." It sat between two shops, the outside of the base was an ebony brown, it looked like an inn, almost. With a one way door in the middle, and large windows on either side. Two silver stakes hung from above each side of the door, baring bright white flags with cyan crosses and angel wings on each side. I admired the simplicity of the symbol, the colors fit together so well, it brought along with it a sense of warmth and protection. I noticed that Atlas's armor was the same color as the flag, so cyan and white, unless I'm colorblind, must be the guilds signature colors.

Atlas opened the door, inviting us inside. The inside of the base was the same ebony as the outside. Tables were arranged neatly around the main room, with various swords, axes, and poles scattered about each of them. The bar area was placed on the far right side, where a few players sat, staring into their mugs.

Greatswords and axes were hung on the left wall, a small wooden plaque was hung next to a doorway, which probably led to the kitchen and sleeping quarters, the plaque read: 'To protect the unprotected.' _Oh how noble.._

At the back of the room sat a large, round table. Eight chairs were evenly spaced about the table, a white, throne-like chair sat closest to the wall, with the flag of Cygnus draped behind it, two torches with silver handles on either side.

"This is amazing..." Karu said quietly, his eyes darted around the room, sparkling from excitement.

Maru stated simply, a wide smile on his face, "Cool."

I have to admit, it was impressive. Especially since we've never seen anything like this before. It really felt like a business building, the kind you'd see back in the real world.

Atlas began to show us around the room, introducing us to the players sitting at the bar, and telling us about the flag and the uniforms.

"The cross represents sanctuary, the wings represent the ascension of the floors," He paused, admiring the flag, "The color white on the flag and the uniforms represents the unity of the guild, all of us here are brothers," _Whatever helps you sleep at night man,_ "The cyan..." he paused, scratching his head, "I'm not really sure what that could mean. I designed the flag, but Maxis decided on the colors."

I spoke up, "Maybe strength? As everyone here is strength based, and blue is a rather strong color." I don't really know that, I'm just trying to sound correct.

Maru agreed, nodding his head, "Yup. Yup. Brotherhood and strength. Nobility and justice."

Karu and I turned our heads towards Maru in shock. His vocabulary must have doubled in size since the last time he spoke, or he's just trying to sound smart. It's working, though.

Atlas let out his deep, heavy laugh, "Good deal, kids! Good deal."

Thunderous footsteps stomped down the hall, everyone turned their heads towards the direction of the doorway. A towering man standing well over six feet had to bend his head over to fit through the doorway, Atlas called out to him, "Ah, Maxis-sama. Nice of you to join us."

The leader of Cygnus, Maxis was giant to say the least. His torso was guarded by a silver breastplate, he wore a long white robe with cyan edges, naturally. His legs were massive, he wore white pants with silver shin guards and boots. A great-sword half his size hung from a strap on his back. His hands looked like iron ingots, protected by silver gloves.

His bald head was unusually shiny, and his face was hard and chiseled. A black soul patch clutched his chin, giving him a little bit of youth, though he couldn't have been very young to be that size.

Atlas introduced us, pointing as he went along, "This is Karu-san, Haru-san, and Maru-san," He gave us a small smile, "The new recruits."

Maxis grinned widely, his voice carried his weight, "Welcome to Cygnus boys."

* * *

**Notes:**

Cygnus is a nod to the Cygnus Knights in my favorite MMORPG, Maplestory.

Atlas is a voice of reason in the video game Bioshock, but later becomes the players greatest enemy. Hint hint.

The round table with the eight chairs is a dumb reference to the Knights of the Round Table.


	7. The Bullet

**December 5, 2022. Floor 2.**

**Haru Hayai:**

Karu sat on his bed across from Maru and I, his hands locked together behind his head, "Any ideas?" he asked.

"I've got one, Nii-chan," Maru raised his finger, "A test of strength."

_Probable,_ I thought, "But what would he have us do?" I questioned Maru's theory. Our initiation 'ceremony' is today, but neither Maxis nor Atlas has told us what it is that we'll be doing.

"A fight to the death." Maru said enthusiastically, laughing maniacally. I flicked his ear, "What would be the point of that, dumby?"

He scowled at me, "I don't see _you_ coming up with anything, Haru-chan."

I layed back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling, "I wonder if they made the other members do this," I sighed, "Or are we a special case, since we're joining later in the game?"

I heard the squeaks of Karu's bed, "In any case," he spoke quietly, "We've got to get in, It's the only way to secure our safety."

Realization sparked in my mind.

_So that's the reason he wants in so badly, _I thought,_ he's afraid..._

His bed squeaked again, so I sat up, "So let's do our best," he beamed at us, "Right?"

He offered his fist to us, Maru and I looked at eachother then said in unison, meeting Karu's fist with our own, "Right!"

Karu sat up and mentioned something about going talk to Atlas, I rested my elbows against my knees and put my face in my hands, _If he's afraid, _I thought, _I guess I should be too..._

"Haru-chan?" Maru mumbled next to me, he was being so quiet, I forgot he was there.

"Yeah?" I turned to face him, his face was unconfident and uncertain, "What if I don't make it in?" he spoke softly, the lack of self esteem carried in his voice, "I'm not very strong, or fast, and my HP is a lot lower than it can be," he looked at me, his eyes were wet, "I don't want to be a burden."

Hearing that made my body feel hollow. I brought Maru's face to my chest, wrapping my arms around his head, "You'll do fine," I reassured him, "Maxis knows that we come as a team, if one of us goes, we all go," I rubbed his shoulder, trying my best to be comforting, which I'm not that great at.

I felt his arms wrap around my back, giving me a hug tighter than usual, he must _really_ be worried about this.

The door of our room opened, Atlas stood at the doorway with Karu behind him, a serious look on his face, "Time to go boys!" Atlas said enthusiastically, a wide smile found way to him after saying this.

We followed him out of the base, which was surprisingly empty. Maru faced the ground, still uncertain about himself.

When we got outside, a number of Cygnus members were in a wide circle in the middle of the street. Maxis stood in the middle of the circle, a colossal grin on his face.

"What exactly are we doing, Atlas-san?" Karu asked, he was quiet until now, possibly worrying about this moment.

Atlas stated enthusiastically, "The three of you will duel with Maxis-sama for five minutes," he pointed in Maxis's direction, "If you hold out without your health slipping below fifty percent, you're in!"

I grimaced. I knew that Maru didn't stand a chance against Maxis. There's no possible way that he could make it in unless I fought alongside him, which was impossible due to the one versus one duel ruling.

Maxis chortled, "Who's up first boys?" he drew his great-sword, revealing a wide, shining steel blade with a thick silver handle, encrusted with small aquamarine jewels on each end.

"I am," Karu opened his inventory window, equipping his royal blue and leather armor and his great-sword, and stepped forward into the circle.

He sent Maxis a dueling request, Maxis accepted and a timer appeared in the sky.

"Enthusiasm!" Maxis roared, "I like it." His eyes squinted as he watched Karu, probably assessing his fighting ability. Althought Maxis was a large man, he was obviously very intelligent. He had assembled, organized and trained a full guild in only a month. He had a certain aura about him, protective and optimistic. His leadership qualities shined through his bright personality, though he could be unexpectedly serious at random times, which I found rather confusing.

Karu got into position a few meters in front of Maxis.

"Whenever you're ready, Maxis-sama," He had a serious tone, though his efforts to hide his nervousness failed miserably.

Maxis gave a roar of a laugh and charged forward. He brought his sword above his shoulder, slicing diagonally the area where Karu stood, Karu quickly leaped out of the way, dashing to Maxis's side. Karu let out a deafening cry as he gave Maxis a vertical slash that proved ineffective. Maxis matched Karu's swing with a diagonal slice, knocking Karu's sword onto the pavement. Karu held on, however, pulling his sword back up and bringing it down again. Maxis blocked his attack and began pushing Karu's sword upwards with his own.

When Karu had enough, he pulled his blade back, and activated a sword skill which made his sword glow a bright purple, as he thrusted his blade towards Maxis.

Maxis swatted his sword out of the way, creating a loud clinging sound of metal clashing with metal.

This sound seemed to echo through the narrow street, as every effort by Karu to defeat Maxis failed by blocking or dodging.

Eventually, after what seemed like an hour, Atlas called time, giving Karu a much needed break. Karu slouched over, gasping for air. The 'Winner!' icon appeared above Maxis's head

Maxis hoisted his blade over his shoulder and began to laugh, "That was a great fight, Karu-san, very good!" He smiled widely at Karu.

Karu gave him a smirk, still panting, "You really don't take it easy on newbies huh?"

Maxis shrugged, "If I did," he said, "I wouldn't see your true potential now would I?"

Karu stepped back into the circle of members, Atlas shook his hand, "Welcome to Cygnus, Karu-san."

Karu raised his eyebrows, "Just like that? I'm in?"

Atlas nodded his head, giving him a warm smile.

Karu began celebrating, dancing around as the other members congratulated him and shook his hand.

He stood in the circle with us and Maru and I each gave him a hug, congratulating him. I know how much it means to him, so when Atlas asked who would be going next, I pretended to be excited when I stepped forward.

A soft voice comes from behind me, "I will."

I turn to see Maru going through his inventory, equipping his mace and leather armor. He sent Maxis a duel request, which Maxis hesitated to accept.

"Are you sure Maru-chan? I'll go before you if you want," I whispered into his ear, I know he's nervous, seeing Maxis fight some more will give him a small advantage. Why would he want to go before me?

He looked up at me, smiling, "I'd rather get it over with, Nii-chan." With that, he walked towards the middle of the circle.

Maxis looked at Maru with an interested look on his face, "The youngest going second?" he scratched his soul patch, "How unusual." A timer appeared in the sky, giving the duelers sixty seconds.

Maru took his place in front of Maxis, his knuckles were white from gripping the mace and he didn't say a word. Maxis sheathed his sword on his back and began beating his palms.

_A martial artist as well as a swordsman? What next, an alchemist? Or maybe he's a cook... _I laughed at the thought of Maxis in an apron.

Hushed murmurs began to pass through the crowd.

"He never uses his MA skill..."

"He's just taking it easy on him 'cause he's a kid."

"Man I wish he went easy on me..."

I felt Karu tense up next to me, _at least we're on the same page_.

Maru wasted no time, bellowing as he charged towards Maxis. He leaped forward, raising his mace over his head. Maxis caught it by the handle, and held Maru in the air, clinging to the mace.

"Try again," he gave Maru a comforting smile, and set him down on his feet.

Maru looked up at him, nodding his head. He took a few steps back, catching his breath.

He raced towards Maxis again, and Maxis brought his fist down on him and missed, hitting the ground and creating a cloud of dust. Maru used the dust to his advantage, darting behind Maxis and bringing his mace up from his side. Maxis caught his trick though, turning around and catching the head of the mace, with his free hand, he sent Maru flying with a blow to the stomach.

Maru landed on his side, sliding on the pavement.

I clenched my fist until my nails dug into my palm, sending a cold, sharp feeling through my hand.

_This isn't fair._

I began to walk forward, planning to break up the fight. I felt a hand on my right arm, I turned to see Karu holding me back, noticeably upset. He shook his head at me, facing the center of the circle again.

Maru struggled to get up, collapsing with every attempt. I noticed that his health was in the yellow from that one hit. He had lost.

Atlas called time, allowing Karu and I race to our brother's aid. Maru apologized, refusing to look either of us in the eye. His face was filthy and his eyes were watery.

Karu began to comfort him, "Don't worry Maru-chan. You did your best."

Maxis walked to us with the 'Winner!' icon above his head, offering his hand to Maru, "I'm sorry Maru-san," _sure you are_, "You did excellent for your level, however," He offered Maru a smile. Maru thanked him and bowed. Maxis patted his head reassuringly.

"Well Haru-san," Maxis turned towards me, "I guess it's your turn."

I grimaced, stepping forward, "I have one condition."

Maxis paused as he sent the duel request, looking intrigued, "Oh? And what would that be?"

I paused in thought, "If I am able to land a hit on you," I grabbed Maru's shoulder and put him in front of me, "You must promise to train Maru-chan, and allow him to join Cygnus."

The crowd of members began to mock me, saying that there was no way for me to touch him.

Atlas spoke up, "I'm sorry Haru-san," he put his hands on his hips, "But that is highly unlikely. Maxis-sama has the highest avoidability of all of us. There's no way that you could-"

I silenced Atlas, "His size is his weakness," I interrupted, "I can hit him."

Atlas gave me a disgusted look, "Your arrogance is yours." _Bitch._

Maxis let out a booming laugh, grabbing my shoulders and ruffling my hair, "Your passion for your brothers is admirable, Haru-san," he beamed at me, "I'll happily accept your terms!"

Maru turned to face me, his eyes wide, "You don't have to do this for me, Nii-chan..."

I winked at him, "Don't worry, I'm going to get you in this guild. I promise." I looked at the window, accepting the duel request.

A huge smile grew on his face and his eyes began to water. Karu tapped my shoulder, turning me around to embrace me, "You're too kind, Haru-chan," he chuckled and took Maru by the shoulders, bringing him back in to circle. The timer appeared above us, giving us sixty seconds.

I went into my inventory menu, equipping the _Wolf's Sentence _and my gray armor along with my cobalt coat. A steel shield the length and width of my forearm gripped my left wrist. My gloves were gray with steel plates on the outside of my hands, my pants were a deep navy that boosted my agility by two points, which I had purchased from an item broker in the first town. My armor was less than fantastic, but it served its purpose, which was good enough for me.

Maxis walked forward and unsheathed his great-sword, he wished me good luck as I took my position.

I knew how to go about this, fast with no time to recover. His size and his armor are a great advantage to his defenses, as well as a great disadvantage. His speed was that of a tank obviously, and that was what I decided I was going to exploit.

I exhaled and dashed forward. I thrusted upwards towards Maxis's chest, he dodged my attack, leaning to the right. He brought his sword up, going for a vertical strike. I leaped out of the way just as his blade hit the ground, creating a cloud of dust, just as he did during his fight with Maru. I hit the ground on all fours, skidding on my feet and my hands. He must have been thinking that I would take advantage of the dust, because he looked in all directions with his sword at his waist.

_Now._

I charged forward with my blade held behind me. As the dust settled, I began to mercilessly attack Maxis, though he managed to block every move. I watched his blocking patterns, noticing his recoil. After I would attack and our blades would clash, he would take a step back and reposition himself. This would be the time for me to get my hit.

I activated my sword skill _Waking Steel_ as I moved forward.

His blocking began to slow down, so I knew he was becoming tired. After the skill lost power, I watched his last recoil, _You're too predictable, Maxis._

I leaped to the right, slicing through his robes creating a large, bright red gash. As he noticed what just happened, on instinct, he gave me a hard punch to my left cheek, sending an ice cold chill through the left side of my face. I flew face-first into the only opening in the circle, hitting a brick wall. My head was filled with a sharp, icy feeling. I fought back to urge to swear like a sailor.

A 'Winner!' icon appeared above his head, congratulating him on the victory. I sat up, rubbing my cheek.

"Damn, Maxis-san," I grumbled, "Did you really have to hit me that hard?"

He looked at me with a shocked expression on his face, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised. He began to laugh hysterically, "That was amazing, Haru-san! I really wasn't expecting that," He paused to walk over and help me up, "Congratulations to you and your little brother," he said enthusiastically, "Welcome to Cygnus, again!"

Atlas and the other members began to crowd around me, congratulating me and begging to know how I touched the untouchable.

Maru fought through the crowd and clung to my coat, burying his head in it while thanking and congratulating me. Karu waited until the crowd had settled to congratulate Maru and I, "That was really something there, Haru-chan, " his words didn't do his feelings justice. I knew he was ecstatic about all of us being in the same guild, but he wanted to play it cool for the other guild members. His eyes were wide with excitement, I knew he would freak out when we go to dinner tonight.

Maxis pulled me aside, "That was incredibly impressive, Haru-san," he had a serious look on his face, which was rather surprising, "Tell me, how did you manage that bullet-like speed?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested.

I shrugged, "I can't stand being slow, so in every game I've played, I'm always a fast character," I chuckled as I said this, "But SAO brings the speed to life, almost. My fleetness shines here. So I embraced it," This had a lot of truth to it. I've never played as a warrior in other games, due to their slow advancement. Haste is the best way to move, the quicker the better, in my opinion.

He slapped my shoulder with great force making me cringe, "I think that's what I'll call you," he gleamed down at me, "Bullet. How does that sound?"

_Cheesy and cliche._

"Sounds good!" I smiled up at him._  
_

* * *

**Notes:**

I based Maxis off of Jet Black from Cowboy Bepop. Just his overall look, sorta. I never actually cared for the anime, Jet comes to mind when I imagine what Maxis would look like, face wise.

I decided to give Haru a theme song, so if you care to look it up and get a feel for Haru's character (As he will appear later) the song is : Iron & Wine - Fever Dream piano cover by My Finders Keeper

Also, when I read Maru's dialogue, I read it in Honey-senpai's voice. From Ouran Highschool Host Club. If you know what it is and who I'm talking about, you're awesome. If you don't and you'd like to imagine Maru's voice, please look it up.


	8. Light Headed

**July 10, 2023. Floor 20.**

**Kyou Komoto:**

I walked into a room that was solid green and seemed to go on for years. The roof was too high to ever hope to see and amazing complicated buildings were aloft in the air seemingly unaffected by gravity. The structures were oddly shaped, with long and skinny rectangles randomly peering out from every side. In each building there was a circle that seemed to be the center point of each one, and had jigsaw-like patterns decorating it. They all varied in color, but mainly showed green and a royal purple at a glance. I didn't know where the lights were coming from but the room was brilliantly lit. A man flawlessly dressed and perfectly unshaven appeared before me introducing himself as the Komoto family founder. He explained to me that from him my life is possible. He began to phase, losing solid form in and out. His legs eroded into countless grains of sand, and torso melted into an orange liquid that seeped into the bright red floor. A small sun broke through the wall nearest me and engulfed the room in a fiery flame. In the middle of it were two lips, with a tongue hanging lazily from them. "Boy? Hey, Boy, are you alright?" it spoke to me.

I was confused when I opened my eyes to find Horn throbbing me with his magnificent thumb. "You were shaking like a dancer, you alright, Boy?"

"Y-yeah…" I was lying on the floor not far from my bed. "What time is it?"

"Dawn. If ya' feel up to it, we're going meet up with Coastors for a trade, and I'd like you to come along."

"Yeah, just give me a few moments alone. I had a strange- uhm…" I rubbed my forehead and felt instant relief, "…a pretty bizarre dream," I looked back up at Horn and when I saw the obviously curious expression brewing on his face, I already knew he'd make me tell him.

"Well tell me, Boy!" I am just _so_ surprised.

"I don't really remember it…" I lied. Horn inverted his bottom lip so it was dramatically hanging. His cheeks slugged down.

"Well if you're gonna be like _that_…" Horn stomped out of my personal, leaving me unsure of how seriously I had actually hurt his feelings.

I stood up off the ground, accessed my drawer, planning to deposit most of my equipment so my load would press lighter. Upon activating my drawer, a small window appeared with a random assortment of numbers. The window read "Access code," I pressed the numbers in, while softly saying them aloud, "Two, one, two, five, one, two, two, eight," I like it. It has a certain ring to it. In one of the slots inside the drawer's storage was a letter that I quickly pulled into my inventory, opened, and began to read aloud under my breath.

"Greetings, Boy," I began to impersonate Horn's voice, "I picked that code out myself! It's very special to me so I ask you don't change it. Listen, Boy, I know about your treasure map," I stopped reading after that line. I reread it two then three times. _Horn? How does Horn know? Does he think I've betrayed his trust?_ Gripping the letter tighter I continued to read. "Keep that map in your drawer if you know what's good for you. You've just about found a game-changing item there, Boy. I hope you don't mind but I took a look at it. The cave depicted in it is called_ Ruby Golem's Cavern_, about a two hours hike west of here and you should be pretty near. But no matter what you do, do not go alone, Boy. You can't survive that cave with just your puny knives and daggers," I frowned ,"I made the mistake of going alone and if it weren't for Elker finding and saving me I'd be long dead by now. Find a lad with a longsword, a greatsword, just something, anything heavier than a one-handed axe. Find a lad who's faster than he his strong, 'cause that golem is about as slow as me. If you can outrun it, you can kill it.

The only reason I'm not telling you this myself is because a great sum of GnW's members can hear a whisper from minutes away…" _Fuck. I'm so stupid. I am so. Fucking. Stupid._ I peered from behind the pelts and saw that most of the house's men were sitting at the great table. Two unfamiliar men were sitting shoulder to shoulder and staring at me with a raging intensity. I frantically looked down at Horn's letter that was coming to an end.

_The only way you'll find that cavern is if you got that map on ya'. So keep it in the drawer for safe keeping. Remember: 21-25-12-28._

_ -Horn _

I followed Horn's advice, depositing the map, along with half of my potions, saving three in case of emergency, and two of my paralysis antidotes and poisons. I stored the majority of what I had on me, leaving me with what I'm wearing, a few bits of food, a dozen of needles, four knives, and one dagger. After I filled all the available slots in my storage I joined the men at the great table, sitting as far away from the menacing looking men as possible. I looked around and noticed how I'm one of the very few members of GnW without any facial hair. As I awkwardly rubbed the random hairs about my cheeks, Elker took the seat beside mine.

Elker looked at me with a straight expression. "Why are you an orange-player?" he asked unshaken. In GnW there's an unspoken rule: Don't ask. Don't tell. I could actually feel the confusion and sheer surprise on my face.

"Why are you?!" I countered. He sighed casually.

He scratched his head and began, "Well that's fair enough I suppose," his sharp chin seemed to stab the heavy air between us. "I attacked a player. Actually, I mugged him." He grabbed and shook a drink in front of him that I'm almost sure isn't his.

"I got caught pickpocketing," I lamely admitted. I still remember it plain as day too. Back then all I had was a cotton cloak that boosted my hiding by an _epic_ one percent. Two frightened looking girls were walking together 'easy prey', I figured. I checked their pockets, and I had a near one hundred percent chance to get away with just enough Col for a drink or two, but I was feeling greedy. I saw a unique dagger and I couldn't help but go for it, even if I had only a twenty three percent chance of getting away with it. Safe to say I didn't. Before that I've never been caught, so I guess I felt invincible.

I'm far from invincible. I've figured that out.

Elker mumbled something angrily that I wasn't able to make sense of. He lifted what was probably not his drink to his lips and drank until the cup was nearly emptied. He sighed after, and I was able to smell fresh wine on his breath. He stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back. Several men around us went silent and looked at Elker, confused. "We're all scum here," he said spitefully. The room was filled with a denser air than usual. Soft mummers flooded the room.

"To being scum!"

Horn's voice echoed throughout the building. He held a robust glass high above his head and the men immediately in front of him all joined in mimicking his pose. The room soon was filled with yells and chants of approval, my voice joining the ruckus. I grabbed Elker's glass from the table and held it as high as my arm would let it go. I smiled widely, admiring Horn. A man so simple was at the same time a natural leader, who undoubtedly has a special charisma that no one can match. Horn beamed brightly with all twelve of his teeth. I felt like the men around me were more than just men, they were brothers, they're Gray n' Waste through and through, they're the rejects of Aincrad, but so am I.

Horn made way to my side, greeting me by touching his hand to my forearm. "Hey, Boy," he began, "We're all ready to leave for the trade; you're comin' right?"

"I-"

"Good!"

Horn pat my head hard enough for me to flinch. "We're leaving now, actually," he pointed at a party near the entrance, "There's gonn' be four parties of three, and since you're stupid, that means there's twelve of us going," he paused to chuckle at his jab, "Elker knows the rendezvous point so he's going tu' lead us."

Elker joined the parties, greeting them and saying farewell to the house. I was invited to Horn and Elker's party, and was assigned the role as lookout. Although my hearing isn't near what it probably should be, I can see further than any other player I've meet thus far.

Half an hour has gone by since we've trailed off and I quickly got lazy with looking for hostiles. We were in a safe area in terms of monster population so I decided to give my eyes a break, walking with them closed only opening them every now and again to make sure I was on track. I was last in the group, trailing behind the rest. The parties of three walked together, organized, casually talking about whatever they might be, I can't really hear them from here. Horn lagged, letting me catch up with him.

He poked my side, "What's your dream, Boy?" Horn asked earnestly. I took a long time to think about my answer.

"The idea of loving someone and that person loving me back always amazed me when I was a child. Still to this day, actually, I'm just blown away at the thought of that being possible. What I want most is my own family. I want to be a father, a husband. I want to be admired and leave my imprint on people. I want to be important, and to make a difference," I scratched the back of my head, looking at the ground, "I just want to be needed by someone. Other than that?" I shrugged, "To get out of this god-forsaken game."

Horn grunted approvingly. "Promise me you'll do just all that, or I'm going to be_ pissed._" Horn smirked, amused.

"Sure, Horn-san, it's a promise," he nodded, "What about you, what's your dream?"

"My dream?"

"Yeah, your dream."

"Well, to chop Kayaba's head off." He chuckled, entertained with himself.

"Cut his head off?" I repeated.

"Right off his shoulders!" The fire that burned in his eyes escaped and glowed his entire face with a fiery blaze.

"I think you can do it."

Horn looked down and mumbled something inaudible. I suddenly found myself wrapped in the arms of a quietly weeping Horn. "I miss my son, Boy," his beard scratched the hair on my head, "He looks so much like you too." I was completely absorbed in his hug and felt like a little kid again. I was able to see that out the corner of my eye the other men gained a rather large lead ahead of us. I comforted the sobbing giant and informed him that we're falling very far behind the others. He told me that spreading out might be a good thing. We walked silently for a while, maybe ten minutes without saying anything. The men are far enough that I have to strain my eyes to see them, but I still know where they are.

The climate was changing from humid hot to an autumn like air. There was a thin breeze that swayed my hair and ruffled Horn's long beard. The grass was thicker and greener than earlier, boasting its vitality. Wildflowers were spread at random across the grass and the foliage got denser, causing me to lose sight of the parties ahead of us. I unsheathed a dagger and spun it around on my fingers, something I've mastered since coming to Aincrad.

"Kyou-kun," Horn spoke intently, my body felt strange when he called me by that name, "My son's been dead for two years. He was fourteen, and today he'd be your age. It's his birthday." I nodded, deciding not to investigate any further. _It's funny_, I thought, _He's missing a son and I'm missing a father._ _Maybe that's why we get along so well._

"I don't know my dad, I never met him," I admitted, "Whenever I ask Mom about him she gets really weird and avoids talking to me. I just know I look like him and that he died before Mom even knew she was pregnant. I've never even seen a picture of him."

Horn laughed aloud and put a hand up saying _Let me explain!_ "Maybe I can marry her and I'll be your dad and you my son."_  
_

My eyes watered but I quickly wiped them dry. What a stupid thing to say. "You're too ugly idiot, and she likes men with more than ten teeth."

"Twelve!" he promptly corrected me. "I have a way with love, Boy." He assured me. The idea of him wooing mom is just too funny. She might as well be asexual. Horn's head suddenly snapped forward with his eyes widened. He held his arm in front of me to stop my stride.

"Follow," he commanded. He vanished from the area he was just in, shocking me with his speed. I looked forward and saw he was already hundreds of meters ahead of me. I threw myself forward, hovering over the ground at amazing speed, landing then pushing with all fours back into the air. I caught sight of Horn again, and saw a familiar looking person lying near him. Horn hung his head, shadows casting over his eyes and the man yelled for God to save him. He broke into shards.

"How, why?!" I asked frantically.

Horn was silent but his shoulders came up then back down. _I don't know._

I immediately drew my dagger and had two poisoned needles cocked back whenever I noticed the presence of over a dozen unknown men. They came from out the shadows, letting themselves be seen. They wore a uniform of dark green medium weight armor, with 'ALA' crests. Elker came into my line on vision. "Atten-tion!" clangs of armor echoed off the trunks of the surrounding trees. The green men around me all become statues in a unified order. "My name is Yomato, Misturugi, Lt. of the Aincrad Liberation Army. Under the order of the people of Aincrad you are sentenced to death, along with any green players that may have harbored or aided you." _What is happening?_

_"_Where are the other men?!" I demanded.

"Gone," Misturugi inched closer drawing a sabre and holding it angled from his side.

"Run!" Horn pushed me with all his might, surprising me enough that I was off balanced. My body flew passed the green men, and into the trees. I collided with a tree, quickly regained composure, and flung myself back to Horn's direction as hard as I possibly could.

I landed fifty meters away from Horn and I can't explain it. My body wasn't there for a few seconds. I felt dead. There wasn't anything I could feel throughout my being, not a pulse, nor a breath. Elker's sabre cut through the skin of Horn's neck, severing his head from his body. He busted into shards, as if he were made of glass. His head hit the ground, eyes still open, and went along with his body.

"_I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!" _The needles left my hands in Elker's direction but they simply bounced off his armor. I lunged at him head first, but he caught my arm and lifted me into the air, spitting on my face. His sabre cut into my stomach, sending me to yellow. He twisted the blade inside of me, sending me to red.

"Then I'll let you live to fail a second time."

He threw me on the ground, turned, and his men followed. A blackness took over my sight. I was gone again. Just for a while.


	9. Latanica

**January 5, 2023. Floor 2.**

**Haru Hayai:**

As everyone crowded around the circular table in the base, I leaned against the left wall, crossing my arms and soaking in the dim orange light from the various candles lying about the room. Ahead of me, everyone in Cygnus conversed about the next floor boss. The current frontline is the fifth floor, the floor boss is known as Captain Latanica. A strange name, but apparently he's a lantern wielding ghost ship captain. I couldn't make this up if I tried. His primary weapon is, of course, the lantern. He's also known for unpredictable melee attacks.

Currently, no one has ventured into his lair. Although the path to the room has been mapped and revealed to the public by various solo players and higher level guilds.

Maxis sees this as an ideal time to prove the strength and abilities of Cygnus. We've progressed sufficiently in levels through the past month, with Maxis, Atlas, and a few other members at the highest level of fifteen. Karu and I, along with most of the guild, rest between thirteen and ten. Maru however, is (expectedly) at the lowest level of nine.

Though his progress through the promised training with Atlas has been quite impressive. Karu and I persuaded Maxis to allow him to participate in the fight against Latanica, not without some pushing on our part, of course. But we believe that he should get this experience out of the way before we get too far in and he ends up having no experience in a boss fight.

The conversation picked up to a heated debate between two sides of the table. Atlas and about four other members, including Karu, say that we should use the offensive strike. As the raw force of concentrated power of the whole guild will surely bring Latanica to the red in a matter of minutes.

Maxis along with four other members vote for the defensive. Seeing the offensive strike as being too risky, and not worth the effort. Maru races back from each side of the table, yelling nonsense whenever the debate picks up.

I turn my attention back to the table, picking up on the argument.

"Maxis-sama," Atlas takes a calmer approach than the other members, "You know as well as I do that the strength of everyone in this guild added together will surely bring down Latanica in no time," he pauses to look at me, an eyebrow raised, "Well, everyone except Haru-san."

I scowl at him and stick out my tongue.

Karu speaks up, "If only half of us attack on the offensive," he motioned his hand to his group, "We stand no chance at defeating him. However," he slammed his palms on the table for dramatic effect, "If we all strike together, and quickly, we can take down Latanica in two minutes at the most," his group began to talk loudly amongst themselves.

Maru joined his side and began cheering, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" No doubt in my mind that he has no idea what's going on.

Maxis stood with his arms crossed on the other side of the table, staring at the data of the dungeon that was layed out before him.

He remained silent for some time, contemplating the offensive attack I suppose.

He turned towards me, a serious and bleak look on his face, "Haru-san," he said coldly.

Surprised, I stuttered, "Y-yeah, Maxis-sama?"

He furrowed his brow, "What do you think we should do?"

I put my finger to my chin, thinking about the situation.

Atlas broke my thought process, "Why are you asking _him_?" he pointed in my direction, Maxis quickly shushed him, "I'd like to have everyone give their opinion, Atlas-san," he answered.

He motioned for me to continue talking, "The offensive is probably the best choice, Sir," I looked him in the eye, "Speed is the clear option for this boss fight in particular, due to Latanica having such a high melee skill for such a low level boss," I paused to look around the room, everyone's eyes were on me, I felt my body get hot and I tugged on my coat to air out the heat, "But... that's just my opinion, Sir."

He frowned, _probably wasn't the answer he wanted_, "So you agree that offense is the best option for this floor boss?"

I faced the floor, avoiding his gaze, "Y-yes sir, I do."

Maxis let out a deep sigh, "Very well," he unfolded his arms and began to scratch his soul patch, "On a matter of majority, we will use the offensive plan in the fight against Latanica."

_When was there a vote?_

As the crowd began to disperse, the members in the defensive group passed by me, each giving me a dirty look, mumbling amongst themselves. I faced the ground again, forcing myself to ignore them.

I walked towards Maxis, who was saving all of the floor boss data that was layed out on the table, "Maxis-sama, I have a question," I stated cautiously.

He raised his eyebrows, "And what would that be, Haru-san?" his voice was surprisingly welcoming, contrary to his tone a few minutes earlier.

I let myself relax, "Why would you ask me rather than take Atlas-san's plan? I don't really have any experience in that area. So I'm not of much help tactically, I suppose," I've only been in one boss fight so far, the fourth floor battle against Von Leon. A humanoid-lion monster, that was relatively easy to kill, as it took very few of us to do so. Yet even then I wasn't of much help, as my level wasn't the highest of the players that were attacking. So I let the others take him on while I stayed back.

Maxis shrugged, smiling a little, "You're apart of this guild as much as Atlas-san," _I think you're exaggerating a little, chief, "_Why wouldn't I want your opinion?" a stupid grin grew on my face. For the first time in a while, I felt apart of something.

Maxis bid me goodnight and moved down the hallway to his bedroom, his thunderous footsteps echoing through the hall.

Maru and Karu met me at the doorway, Maru yawned loudly as Karu motioned us to our bedroom.

He sighed contently, "So, Haru-chan," he softly nudged my shoulder, "You weren't just sticking up for me back there, were you?"

I thought about what he meant for a moment, "Oh, with the offensive thing?" he nodded, "Nah, I would have happily disagreed with you, Nii-chan," I winked at him, he merely frowned and narrowed his eyes at me, "However, this time you were right, so I agreed."

He folded his arms, "Whatever, I'm usually right, so it doesn't bug me if you don't agree."

_Uh-huh? _Maru spoke up, fighting back a yawn, "Nii-chan, not to be rude," he paused to open our bedroom door, "But from what I can remember, you're usually wrong," I chortled at Maru's blunt honesty as he collapsed onto our bed, "Like those turtles on floor three? You said they didn't have any special attack skills. And you almost got yourself killed..." His voice trailed off as he fell asleep mid-sentence, still in his armor.

I pulled the blankets up and over his unconscious body, tucking him in. Karu had a childish upset look on his face, sticking his tongue out at Maru.

I chuckled at him, "He's right though, If Maxis hadn't jumped in at the last second-" he interrupted me, unwilling to face his failure, "Yeah, yeah I know. You guys don't have to keep reminding me every chance you get," he collapsed onto his bed, linking his fingers together behind his head.

I sat on the edge of the bed I shared with Maru, resting my elbows on my knees and burying my face in my hands.

I went into my inventory and equipped my clothes instead of my daytime armor. Clothes are basically just what they sound like, clothes. Armor is usually much heavier and unusual to wear when you have the option not to. So I use that option every chance I get. My clothes consisted of black sweat pants and a white zip-up jacket. Wearing clothes made me feel a little more in touch with the real world, so I guess I can see the appeal of them for the non-players, seeing as how all they wear is normal clothing.

Karu bolted upright on his bed, a bored expression on his face, "I'm not tired," he flashed me an inattentive look, "Let's go somewhere."

Intrigued, I ask, "Like?"

He shrugs, getting up and walking towards the door, "Let's act like non-players tonight."

Confused and uninterested I groan, "Eh..."

He grabs me by the collar of my jacket, "You're coming," and begins to drag me out the door.

The chilly night-time air was soothing against my skin, I inhaled deeply and let out a loud exhale to show Karu my exasperation.

He ignored me, "Hm," he paused to look down the narrow street that the base was located on, "I suppose we could visit the plaza, there's a nice cafe I went to with a few of the guys a while back just around the corner," he looked to me for approval, I shrugged and began to walk towards the plaza. As we walked into our destination, Karu began his usual mindless chatter, I let myself drift into my thoughts, giving the occasional nod or 'Uh-huh'.

Although it was past ten in the real world, the streets were lit with a mix of orange lanterns and the dim blue-ish light of the moon. A rather peaceful setting, and yet the hums of the plaza still rang through the streets with noises of either parties getting back from the dungeon or merchants packing up for the night. The surreal feeling of SAO never seemed to fade, besides the obvious realism of it all, I couldn't help but feel like it was nothing but a bad dream. No matter how much I reluctantly tried to remind myself of the true dangers, I almost didn't want to believe it. _Almost._

As we opened the door to the cafe, we were greeted by the low conversations of the players that were on this floor, along with the strong scent of fresh tea. Although you didn't have to eat or sleep in this game, your body still feels fatigue and hunger, so eating is basically necessary.

As we took a seat in a booth, I noticed Karu's babbling had ceased. I sighed and mentally thanked God.

After the waitress had taken our orders, he leaned back and locked his fingers together behind his head, gazing at me with unreadable eyes. I raised my eyebrows in response, letting my eyes dart about the cafe, all the while facing him. Finally, I asked, "What?"

"Did you only join Cygnus for us," He paused, "Ya know, me and Maru?" as if he needed to clarify.

"Oh," I thought it would be something more serious, "Yeah, I guess. Why wouldn't I want to be in a guild with you guys?" I stopped to think about what I had just said, "Well I guess if it wasn't for me Maru wouldn't be here," I chuckled at my rude honesty.

His eyes narrowed and he gave me a frown, "I'm joking." _Even if it's true._

I sighed and leaned back against the booth, "To answer your question, yes."

His expression relaxed, giving me a comforting look, "You didn't have to," he shrugged, "I just think it was a pretty good idea," he looked down at the table, "It just seems like a strong way to secure our safety," he put his elbows on the table, scratching his head. _If we wanted safety we'd be non-players._

The waitress, who was notably attractive, and notably not a human, came back with two cups of steaming tea, I stared into mine, thinking about what I wanted to say next, "Are you afraid, Nii-chan?"

I felt his eyes on me, he remained quiet for a while, but finally broke the awkward silence, "Yeah, Haru-chan, I was," I grimaced at the reflection of myself in the tea, _at least he admitted it.  
_

He tapped my hand that was locked around my cup, I looked up to see him staring at me, a soft yet blissful smile on his face, "I'm not anymore though," he spoke softly, "I'm proud of what you're becoming," he laughed, scratching the back of his head,"I sound cheesy, don't I?"

My eyes were wide and I had a stupid smile creeping on my face, I fought it off, staring back at my tea, "Yeah... you do."

He began to ramble on again, talking about immature jokes the other guild members told.

I lost interest and began to recite his words in my head. As I sipped my still steaming tea, I hid my mouth in my cup and let the smile take form.

**January 6, 2023. Floor 5.  
**

The colossal gray door to the lair of Latanica was etched with images of ghouls with, what I'm guessing is ectoplasm, seeping from their mouths, along with old style ships, the kind with canvas sails, and various failed attempts of Japanese characters.

Our group was armed to the teeth with staffs, great-swords, longswords, hammers, and axes. Wearing full on Cygnus uniforms that unfortunately I wasn't able to equip due to my low strength level. In total, there were about twenty five of us. The entire guild of Cygnus, along with various solo players, and smaller, higher level parties.

Maru and Karu stood on either side of me, bleak expressions on their faces. We were all three in a separate party, as we had requested. The highest levels were partied together, while the medium to lower levels had their own parties.

Maxis stood in the front of the crowd of players, going over the attack plan with everyone in the guild. Many of the soloers stood back, listening and probably judging Maxis, but they wouldn't dare interrupt him, out of fear that he'd smash their heads in.

Maxis unsheathed his great-sword, giving everyone the signal to draw their weapons. He stood in front of the door and rested his sword on his silver shoulder guards, he turned towards the crowd and began to deliver his speech.

"Cygnus," he paused, looking out on the other side of the crowd, "Uh... other players," I let out a small chuckle, "Now this isn't our first floor clearing so I'm positive you know what to do, however," he held his arm out in our direction, "I'd like to welcome Maru-san to his first boss fight," Many of the players looked over to Maru, who's face was a deep red, though he had a huge smile on his face, "And may he have good luck in this battle," I put my hand on Maru's head, ruffling his hair. Maxis slapped his heavy chest plating, as did every one of the guild members, "Let's do this," he rallied, everyone including myself and a few of the solo players began to chant "Latanica", as Maxis pushed open the large gray doors.

* * *

**Notes:**

****Captain Latanica is a field boss in the MMORPG Maplestory.

Von Leon is also a field boss in Maplestory, however, he isn't a giant humanoid lion. He's just a badass mofo.


	10. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

**January 6, 2023. Floor 5.**

**Haru Hayai:**

I stared into the darkness that was the lair of Latanica. Nothingness, it seemed. Just black, empty, loneliness. For a moment, I thought about what it would be like to live in a room such as this. No human interaction, no lights, just blank.

Maxis walked forward into the blackness. Leading our large mass of players onward.

The group was quiet, for the most part. Aside from small murmurs or loud exhales. Maru was speechless, clenching to his mace. His face was unreadable, but it seemed as though he was struggling to maintain confidence. Karu's eyes were slim, straining to see in the darkness. See what? I have no clue. There was nothing to see.

After everyone in our crowd had merged inside of the lair, lights kicked on with a loud clap for each light fixture that was hung from the ceiling.

The room was a deep violet with gray stone columns spaced evenly against the circular wall. Pictures hung between each blank spot of columns, with thick, golden wood frames. The pictures themselves were unidentifiable and messy, with a number of deep blues and reds to violets and emerald greens. Some may call it abstract, I call it crap.

At the very end of the massive circular room sat Captain Latanica in a chair that seemed like it was owned by royalty. His model was black and ghastly, aside from the stained white naval jacket that seemed to hang from his figure. Shimmering golden buttons lined the fold of his jacket where the two sides connected. His head was unusually large, with a standard naval hat sitting on top. His eyes were round balls of glowing red. A wide sneer seemed to be plastered to his face, his teeth were unusually white and notably sharp.

As he stood to greet us, I noticed his enormous boulders of hands that were covered in stained white gloves. He was massive, towering over everyone, including Maxis. His head almost touched the ceiling of the room, missing it surely by just a few feet. Surprisingly, he had no legs. Although, what can you really expect from a ghost?

He reached down to grasp his weapon, the lantern, with his right hand. Its golden box shape was illuminated by a blinding orange flame that blazed through the glass.

I felt everyone around me tense up, taking a few steps back. We all looked towards Maxis, who had a blank expression on his face. It was obvious that he hadn't expected the enormity of Latanica, but he didn't let it faze him.

"Take your places men," he said, confidently. I moved to the left side of the room with Maru and Karu, as did a solo player and a free party. I looked around to see Maxis and Atlas's party in the middle of the room, with a few soloers. On the far right was the last party of Cygnus with two other free parties.

Latanica seemed to glide, if not float, to the middle of the room. All the while keeping his devilish sneer. His lantern hung at his waist, as his arm was lazily bent forward.

Maxis shouted to the right team to charge forward. The team of Cygnus members ran towards Latanica at a slow, yet steady pace, as expected of their low speed levels. The free parties stayed back, probably learning Latanica's attack patterns.

As they barreled forward, the team broke into two, attacking the front and back of Latanica's left side.

Maxis yelled to my team to move forward, so we did in an orderly fashion. Karu to my right, a few meters back, Maru to my left, the same distance.

I met Latanica's right side with a quick combo of diagonal slashes. Karu focused on the front, Maru on the back, the safest spot. I fell back a hundred meters, darting forward and vaulting myself into the air, landing on the top of Latanica's lantern.

I viciously began to jab and slash his right hand, activating every sword skill in my arsenal. After a moment, Latanica turned his attention towards me. He swung his arm to the right, propelling me to the back wall at an amazing speed. I heard my brothers yell my name, but I was unable to respond. In the air, I turned to see the wall, bracing for impact.

I hit the wall head on with a booming thud. I was able to stand in my indention for a few seconds before I inevitably fell backwards. My vision began to fade midair, and I blacked out.

When I awoke, it was obvious I had been out for too long. My head pounded with a blunt, cold feeling. My health was almost in the yellow, but I disregarded it. My vision was cloudy, probably with either dust or tears. I held my hand in front of my face and grasped my forehead, "Son of a _bitch_," I groaned, "Why is it always the head?"

I regained my composure, turning my head to the right. My arm was spread away from my chest, my sword, still in my hand.

I stood with a loud groan, pushing myself to my feet. I stumbled backwards, but kept my balance. I turned around to see Latanica at the brink of yellow, phasing to red, and the mass of players, including my guild, in turmoil.

Maxis and his squad were unorganized, but maintained balance in their attacks. The squad on the right side of the wall had six members in their party when we started, now they only had five. The solo players had diminished, leaving only seven, yet the rest scattered about Latanica. The free parties seemed to be the ones that were the most confused, with their members dispersed in random areas. Yet they all crowded at the base of Latanica. My party held their position, although they had been noticeably distracted by my absence, as their health had taken a few hits.

I raced towards my brothers, drinking a small health potion, boosting me back up to nine hundred hit points.

But before I could reach them, Latanica let out a deafening screech. His lantern glowed a dim violet, the flame changed colors rapidly, passing through every color of the rainbow. The sight was stunning, and I stopped for a moment, taking in the beauty, but I quickly realized that this must be a special attack. I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Nii-chan! Ma-chan! Get back!" but my words were of no effect, and my expectation of the special attack proved to be correct.

Latanica swung his lantern above his head, bringing it down with great force. The ground shook as it smashed the area that my brothers stood.

_Please, God, no._

Chills flashed through my body, and I tensed up, unable to move.

Latanica brought his lantern to his waist again, revealing a crater in the ground. Karu stood, hunched over his sword a few meters from the crater, his health was only in the yellow. He looked in my direction and faced the ground, a horrified expression grew on his face.

Maru lay on the ground, a few meters from the crater, his health meter slowly climbed to the bottom, taunting me. My eyes began to water, my fingertips shook violently as I screamed my younger brothers name. He slowly turned to face me, dirt and glowing red scratches on his young, innocent face. He gave me a weak, beautiful smile, and mumbled something I couldn't hear, as he shattered into virtual polygons.

"_NO! NO, NO, NO!_" I bellowed, my throat protested with sharp pains. My whole being shook violently as tears streamed down my face. I fell to my knees, bawling with my face buried in my hands. A mix of rage, terror, and grief raced through my mind. Unable to handle the power of my grief, I awkwardly stood up. Gripping my sword firmly, I yelled to the point where my voice became hoarse, and dashed forward.

_My fault._

Karu yelled to me, but I blocked him out, _all that matters is me and Latanica_.

I lunged forward, gripping the top of the lantern. I threw my weight over the side and stood on the lantern once again. I grasped Latanica's glove, sheathed my sword, and began to climb his right arm.

_If I hadn't been careless..._

I could hear Maxis's faint voice, "Don't be stupid Haru-san! You don't know what you're dealing with!"

_A program,_ I thought, _Nothing but a computer program created by a murdering psychotic bastard, the same bastard that just murdered my little brother._

As I gripped and tugged on Latanica's naval coat, pulling myself upward, I looked down at the crater. Tears threatened to pour again, but I widened my eyes, stopping them. I glanced in Karu's direction, he was up against the left wall with his head in his hands, his sword on the ground next to him.

_Don't blame yourself, brother. It's my fault. _I felt the tears begin to take form in my eyes, I did nothing to stop them.

I forced myself to look back up, my vision was wet and clouded. I began to escalate once again, as I got closer to Latanica's shoulder, I heard the screams of the players below me. None that I recognized. They yelled in pain and despair, which became my reason to keep climbing. To put an end to everything. To get out of this death game.

_My damn... fault._

I reached Latanica's shoulder and positioned my torso on top of the black shoulder pad, I threw my legs over and crouched down in an attempt to maintain balance.

_If only..._

I stood up and unsheathed my sword. Awkwardly stepping forward, I leaped into the air a few meters and activated _Executioner's Word_, giving Latanica a bright red slash on the right side of his face. He let out another blaring howl that seemed to be amplified as I was close to his mouth, although his expression never changed from the evil sneer he was programmed with.

_Demon programs..._

I felt his weight shift to his left and I stumbled forward, hitting his face. I pushed up with my left hand and began to mercilessly stab the area which must be the right side of his chin.

_Why, _I stabbed, _won't, _I sliced deeper and deeper_, you die?!_

I soon realized why his weight shifted, as his left fist came barreling at me from his front side. It hit me with a loud boom, knocking me off of his shoulder and throwing me behind him. I hit the ground with a dull thud. I felt the wind escape my lungs, spitting up virtual saliva. The freezing, blunt pains shot through my back, reaching my arms and my toes. My health began to slide down to green-yellow.

I widened my eyes in shock as I watched the behemoth turn around to face me, the first time he hadn't been facing the direction of the door to his lair, and it was probably just so he could kill me.

His left fist glowed a deep purple as he brought it down on me. I shut my eyes tightly, clenching my teeth, waiting for the blow.

_Here I come, Maru._

The fist never met me, though. I opened my eyes to see Karu above me. His shadow cast over me with his sword blocking the ghost's fist. I noticed his health was quickly diminishing to the red, due to the power of the attack and his low weapon guard skill level. "Go Haru!" his voice was shaky and straining, though I hesitated to move, "_NOW!_" he shouted. I scrambled to my feet, lifting myself off of the ground and began to stumble away from the scene.

I turned back to see Latanica pull his fist back and unclench it. Karu faced me, shouting, but I couldn't understand him. Latanica swatted Karu with a powerful slap from his left hand, shooting Karu as if he were a projectile, towards the right wall.

"_NII-CHAN!"_ I screamed. I heard Maxis in the backround, telling everyone to attack.

_Not again, I can't lose them both... Have mercy..._

He landed in one of the paintings, it tore as he hit, revealing a small nook in which he sat in for a few seconds. His face was tired and beaten, he narrowed his eyes and stared into space. His health declined at an amazing speed, he leaned forward and began to fall. In mid-air, my brother broke into thousands of shards.

My throat cried out in pain as I screamed unable to do anything else. My mouth widened and I tasted the tears that cascaded from my eyes. I began to tremble violently, grief and panic flaring in my chest. I pushed myself up against the wall, far away from Latanica and sat down, my sword beside me.

_They're gone?_

_No_, drawing my knees in and resting my head on them, I began to rock back and forth, bawling hysterically. "They..." I mumbled to myself through gasps, "No...not them and...and...mom..." I saw my mother in her casket. My father was beside me, looking into the sky, tears slowly dripping from his chin. Karu stood to my left, weeping softly. I was too young to understand what had happened, but everyone around me seemed to be crying, so I started to sob as well. Maru was still in the hospital, only a newborn. He had never met our mother, so her loss wasn't put upon him.

I remember moving in with Gram and Gramps after Karu turned eighteen. He had told Maru and I that we would be safe there. We were, until Karu discovered this game.

I stopped myself from thinking anymore. I was blaming my brother, _who I just killed_, for putting me in this position.

_I hate myself._

I crouched, and slowly ascended to my feet.

I glanced in the direction of Latanica. His health was on the brink of being depleted with only a few centimeters of red left. _I have to kill him. I have to have my revenge on this...thing.  
_

I picked up my sword and began to pace forward. I glanced at my health, still on the brink of yellow, I disregarded it.

_If I live, I die later. If I die now, I'll be with them.  
_

I yelled to the others to stay back, "Let," my sobbing hadn't stopped, nor did my gasps, "Me... finish him..."_  
_

A few of the solo players and the free party members shouted back, telling me to shutup and not to be selfish.

Maxis shot them a look and ordered them to stay back in a booming voice, they quickly stopped their attacks and ran back to the door, _cowards._

I looked up towards Captain Latanica, who still faced the back wall where his throne sat, along with the door to the next floor. He turned his attention towards me, his eyes changed from circles to downward crescents.

I pounced forward, giving him a horizontal strike. I leaped to my left, slashing his side. I ran around his base in a circle with my _Wolf's Sentence_ driving inside of him, leaving a bright red trail.

He let out another screech and brought his lantern down. I leaped out of the way just in time as it hit the ground, creating a cloud of dirt. I hopped on top of the golden cased lantern and began to sprint up his right arm. When I reached his shoulder, I pushed off of it with all of my force. I shifted my weight to the left, so my back was facing the ground. I struck Latanica's face with blinding speed and created a gash as I slid down his face, then his torso.

The apparition let out one of his deafening howls as he began to fall forward, his shadow fell over me as he bursted into pixels.

A screen popped up in front of me. Congratulating me on the last hit, it gifted me a ring, _Apothecary's Will. _I quickly stashed it in my inventory without reading the stats.

I began to walk towards the door to floor 6, when Maxis stops me, "Haru-chan," he tries to sound comforting, but I won't have it.

"Yeah?" I ask, sounding just as sour as I wanted.

He ignores my tone, "It wasn't your fault, Haru-chan," he places his hand on my shoulder, "A lot of men died here today," _Awesome, another speech, _he faces what's left of the crowd of players, "But their beings will not be forgotten."

I shrug his hand off and continue walking to the door. _What do you know Maxis? What the hell could you possibly know about how I feel?_

"Where do you think you're going, Haru-chan?" his voice is deep and strict. _Oh my._

"I'm done."

"With what?"

"All of this," with that I open my menu and selected the 'Leave Guild' button. I climbed the stairs to the door, "You'll be back, Haru," I look Maxis in the eye, and he dares to smile, "You'll be back."

I race up the stairs, failing to fight back the tears and throw open the door.

* * *

**Notes:**

Apothecary's Will is sort of a nod to Romeo and Juliet, although the ring has a purpose the complete opposite of the Apothecary in the play. I just like the word, it's a cooler way to say pharmacist.

The mother flashback was meant to be awkward and out of place. He's remembering these visions that he'd rather not see, but his mind is forcing him to do so.


	11. Mental

**July 5, 2023. Floor 20.**

**Haru Hayai:**

I lay on the shingle-tiled roof of the clock-tower in the town of Jarasu, staring up at the night sky. The busy streets of the frontline town had a euphoric feel to it, bringing me away from the lonely days in the fields I've grown accustomed to. The soft summer breeze was refreshing against my skin, what wasn't covered by armor, anyway. I inhaled slowly and let out loud sighs, listening to the traffic of players below me.

I had been keeping up with the floors rather well, although I haven't stepped foot inside of a dungeon since January. I spend most of my days farming level twenty five mobs, a few levels lower than mine. An easy way to rack experience, crap drops, and Col. Most of the other players are all out fighting field bosses or killing themselves in the dungeons, so my fields are always quiet.

I stare at my left hand, around my ring finger was the _Apothecary's Will._ The ring itself was stunning, a thin silver wrapped around my finger, a shining ruby cross placed neatly in the center. The stats were astonishing, and I had considered selling it many times. However, I already have more Col than I know what to do with, so I might as well keep it. The ring was named appropriately, giving me a twenty percent health boost when solo, and a thirty percent boost when in a party. The ring's health boost also gives my party members the same gift, making it almost necessary to be in a party with someone. Which makes me long for my brothers even more.

The ring also drastically changed my health regeneration skill, giving me a strong one hundred and fifty hit points every ten seconds. Of course, ten seconds could be the difference between life and death, but my vitality level was at a decent number, so I didn't have too much to worry about.

I felt the wind pick up, causing my coat to softly flap in the breeze. I lean forward, bringing myself to my feet in a crouching position. I stand up and carefully walk down the tiled roof. As I come closer to the edge, I stare out at the town. Neatly lit with faint flickers of yellow and orange and crowded with hundreds of players, I felt relieved to see the activity. Knowing that there are others around makes getting through the day much easier. I miss the company I once had, and my current days are centered around myself, which isn't very fun, seeing as how when I'm alone my mind goes wild with guilt and self-hatred. I manage to push these thoughts out, even though I fully understand that they're true.

I stretch my arms, arch my back and lean forward. I spread my arms out like wings, with my palms facing the town ahead of me. I give small hop, and plunge downward towards the buildings below me.

The clock tower was easily twenty stories high, if not more. Though the fall has no chance of killing me due to my exceptionally high endurance and agility. If any injuries occur, it'll be on purpose. I close my eyes and relish in the warm breeze hitting my face and hands as I dive through the air.

I open my eyes to see a wide, red tiled roof below me. I position myself so that when I land, I'll be able to easily roll, softening the impact a great amount.

When I hit the roof, I land on the tips of my toes, bend my knees, and throw my upper body forward, somersaulting on the rough shingles. Less than pleasant, but I ignore the chills they cause. I dash across the roof, throwing my arms behind me, as you'd see ninjas do in old cartoons. I leap over various alleys and gaps, giving myself an invigorating exercise. I scale various walls, performing wall-runs and showy flips, even though no one is looking in my direction. Even if they were, I doubt they could see me through the nighttime shadows.

I'm only a couple hundred meters away from my destination of the inn, when I spot a vaguely familiar girl at one of the shops across the street from my position wearing heavy armor with golden blonde hair, but she's turned away from me so I'm unable to see her face. Still, my eyes widen in excitement, and I feel my heart skip a beat. I smile broadly, leaping down from the roof I'm on. I navigate through the small crowd of NPCs and players and approach the girl I once met from behind. I go to put my hand on her shoulder, but she turns around and begins talking to another player. I quickly lower my hand and stare off into the crowd. Glancing back, I'm able to deduce the fact that this girl is not Lucy, but just another survivor.

I turn around and begin to walk back to my rooftop when a pair of hands grasp my shoulder firmly. I lurch back and stare at my unknown visitors. They easily tower over me, which is surprising due to my long and lanky body type, I stand an appropriate 5'9, though these men seem to be at least a foot taller. They stare at me with bleak eyes, their faces seemed to be perfectly shaped, with brick-like chins and cheeks. They wore thick white and cyan robes, two colors that I instantly regretted seeing._ Oh, _I thought,_ this should be good._

They glared down at me and in unison said, "Haru 'Bullet' Hayai?" their voices were strong and filled with too much testosterone.

I stared back, unamused, "Yeah? What do you want?"

The one on the right pulled out a sheet of crumpled paper from his jacket pocket and began to read, "By order of the guild of Cygnus," _Formal! _"You are currently under the custody and supervision of Knight Banto," he pointed at himself, "And Guardsman Keiga," he pointed at his friend, "Until Father Maxis of Cygnus has given the order of your release." He crumpled the paper and shoved it in his coat. "Please, come with us."

The one named Banto had short, fiery red hair and deep blue eyes. He was relatively young for his size, probably in his late teens. Not much older than me. Keiga had dark brown hair and topaz colored eyes. It's possibly that he had them changed in-game, but for some reason I doubt it. They looked a lot alike, besides their different hair and eye colors. They were almost the same exact height, with the same facial features and everything. Keiga had a longs-axe.

I turn my head to the side and ogleword strapped across his back, and Banto, a great at the one named Banto boredly, "Why?"

They look at each other, their eyebrows raised, then Banto turned back to me, "Father Maxis ordered it."

I let out a guffaw, "That's hilarious! He's going by 'Father' now?" I pretended to wipe a tear from my eye, "That's too good..."

The one named Keiga scowled at me, his deep, golden eyes gave him a sense of permanent annoyance. "Do not taunt Father Maxis," he used his fingers to imitate quotations, "'Bullet'."

I scratched the back of my head and chuckled, jokingly embarrassed, "I never really liked that name. Maxis sure did, I think it's a bit cheesy, don't you?"

Banto covered his face with his hand, "Just come with us kid, it won't take long."

_Kid? _This made me annoyed. I sighed, "Alright let's go..." I motioned for them to lead, and they walked ahead of me.

When we had been walking for a few meters, I slowed my pace and began to drift to the right. Before they could notice, I was scaling the nearest wall. I accidentally tapped a metal pipe with my foot, and they turned their attention towards me. "Hey!" they yelled in unison.

I smiled at them and gave them a flick of my hand, flinging myself across the rooftop.

They immediately gave chase, although if they're from Cygnus, there's no way in hell that they would ever catch up to me.

I vaulted over a ledge, dropping down to an alley below me. I landed with a dull thud, but kept moving. Out of the alley was a populated street, I found my way across and climbed onto another one story roof. Confident that I had evaded them, I began to ease my way to the inn.

I walked in to the packed lobby of the Ootori Inn and was immediately greeted by the sounds of excited players and the strong scent of tea. I grimaced at the smell, thinking of my brother and I sitting in an inn just like this, with the smell of tea in the air. I rushed to the counter, trying to evade the smell, gliding past the players and renting a room for the night.

I got to my room, a small yet comfortable area with one bed pressed against the left wall. Tapping the 'Off' option on the light switch, sitting down on the bed with a deep sigh. I had successfully evaded the Cygnus goons, but why would Maxis want to see me? We have no further business to speak of, so what could he want? To make sure I was still alive? Well he probably knows that by now, and why is he going by Father? He's by no means a priest, and Father sounds too... I don't know, fake.

I pushed the questions out of my mind, as I knew thinking of Cygnus would only open doors to older, unwanted memories. I opened my menu and equipped my clothes, stashing my armor in my inventory. I kept my ring on, however. Wearing it gave me a sense of false comfort, despite the way I acquired it.

I lay back on the bed, staring up at the dim ceiling. The room was illuminated by the faint blue light of the moon, and nostalgia came to my mind. I crawled up the bed, tucking myself in quickly. I pulled the covers over my eyes and thought about the girl I knew for one night. Where could she be? Is she still alive? I pray that she is. I hope she makes it to the real world. Maybe we've already passed one another. Maybe she's outside right now, walking the streets of Jarasu, alone and tired. I softly shook my head, forcing myself to think of something happier.

I thought of the night before I came to this world. I sat at the kitchen table of Gram and Gramps' house, helping Maru with his homework. Karu came rushing through the door, and announced that Sword Art Online was coming out the following day. Although we had all known this. As he had frequently told us about the game every chance he got.

_He was so excited, _I thought, _I wonder how he felt when Kayaba announced that we were trapped..._

Being under the blanket soon became stuffy and I pulled my head out for cooler air. I focused on the blue light, pushing my brothers out of my mind, and began to slowly slip into unconsciousness.

I see nothing but flashes of gray. It comes every few seconds. I'm taken aback by them, but I realize what they are, and I let them come.

Faces appear. First Maru, then Karu, then they stop. They're speaking somehow, but I can't understand what they're saying. Of course they'd appear. They're dead and my mind is forcing me to sit through these replays of memories to torture me, but at the same time, it's torturing itself.

A pond. I'm sitting on the grass ledge above a deep blue pond. A fishing pole in my hands, I cast out into the water. Someone's talking next to me, a young voice, I recognize his voice immediately, and begin a conversation with my younger brother. I can't make out any of the words we're saying, but I don't care. I'm just happy to remember a moment like this.

A dark room comes next, and I struggle in my unconscious state to push this thought out. But I fail, and the memory plays.

Faint flickers of various colors illuminate the living room, but a shadow of the chair in front of the TV blocks my vision. I know where I am, and I hate it. I despise every fiber of this room, every inch, and the disgusting 'adult' in this cursed room.

I'm laying on a small mat, sweating out a fever, covered by a thick wool blanket. Karu originally had positioned me so I could see the television, but the one in the chair moved himself as a form of punishment for me missing school. So I shut my eyes and try to sleep, knowing that he would get angry if I try to go to my room. I hear the swishes of the bottle as he sips from it. I pray that he drowns himself in it one day. I've always hoped this, since the day Maru was born. Her death changed him, Karu says. He tells me faint memories of how he used to be before she died, but I refuse to believe him. There's no way her death could morph him into this monster.

I glance at the chair at the sound of his voice. He calls to me, ordering me to get another bottle from the fridge. I tiredly bring myself out of my cot and walk towards the kitchen. I notice that we're out of what he's asking for, so I bring him a can of something foul instead. When he sees what I have in my hand, I explain that we're out of what he likes, and that he has to go pick up some more.

His glasses flash the colors of the TV and a long shadow comes from his left side. He swats my right cheek, hard. I recoil back, grasping my face with my hand. He mentions something about my attitude, and I can smell the alcohol on his breath. I frown at him and walk away, refusing to listen to his drunken rambling.

He calls out to me with a strict tone, ordering me to come back. I ignore him and head for the door to our bedroom. I lock myself inside, hearing his amplified footsteps come down the hall. I race to the closet and shut the rolling door. Burying my head in my knees, I push out the sound of his fist banging on the bedroom door. Soon, I hear the door bust open with a loud thud, and his footsteps get closer and closer. He opens the bedroom closet, glaring down at me through his thick glasses.

I shoot up, sitting up straight in bed and sweating as though I had been in a sauna. I notice that my blankets are horribly disfigured, and my pillow lays on the floor a few feet away from me. I regain my composure and open my menu, checking the time.

"Only ten thirty..." I mumble to myself, "I've been asleep for an hour..."

I give up on the idea of sleep, knowing from experience that it will no longer come. Most nights have been like this, although I rarely dream of my father. Most of the time, my mind replays the moments when my brothers died, taunting me, and I wake up either screaming or crying hysterically.

I get up, fix the bed, and head out the door into the now, almost empty, lobby of the inn. I turn in the key to my room and head outside, where I'm greeted by the warm air of Jarasu and the conversations of the players that are still awake.

I decide to head to my training fields just out of Jarasu, _Might as well, _I think, sighing.

I shove my hands in my pockets and walk down the dimly lit cobblestone street. I whistle softly to myself and equip all of my necessary equipment for farming mobs, as I head out of the town.

**July 6, 2023. Floor 20.**

As I walk back towards the only entrance of Jarasu from my training fields, I notice two familiar faces standing in the middle of the walkway. They flash me large smiles, waving as though we're good friends.

I groan loudly, "Jeez, I thought I got rid of you guys."

Banto laughs, "For some time. We searched the whole town for you," he gives me an annoyed frown, "It was really quite a hassle. But when we concluded that you were no longer in Jarasu, we decided to wait at the only entrance into the town."

"What if I had used the teleporter?"

Banto gives me a sly grin, "We would have known."

Keiga spoke up, "What were you doing in the fields, Haru-sama? It's a bit early to start training, don't you think?" his voice was bright, as though he were excited to find me.

I scratched my head and faced the ground, "I didn't get much sleep last night," I sigh, "And don't call me sama, it's weird."

"Let's get you to Father Maxis," Banto said, "Then we can decide on what to call you," he winked and they both laughed.

I groaned again, expressing my exasperation, "At least tell me what he wants first."

Banto shrugged, "We don't know, we were only told to find you and deliver you to Maxis."

Keiga chimed in, shaking his head, "If only you had come with us at the beginning, this would be over with by now."

I frowned, sighing. "Fine..." I let my words drag, "Lead the way, goons," I motioned towards the town.

Banto walked in front of me, while Keiga strayed a few feet behind. If they had done that from the start, I probably wouldn't have escaped.

Ahead of me, Banto spoke, "Cygnus has changed quite a bit since you left, Bullet-sama," _Again with the sama... __"_They were quite unorganized during the first few floors. Today, we're one of the best front line guilds in the game."

_That's a little hard to believe... _"How so?" I asked, still, I was interested in his reasoning.

"Well, to start off," he began, "Today, we're divided into three different classes. Each class is its own group, such as the Knights and Guardsmen. Guardsmen are protectors of the leaders, like Father Maxis or Atlas-sama. Knights are the leaders during boss battles, or dungeon clearings."

Keiga chimed in, "The third class is the Soldiers," he said, "The lowest ranked of the three. They're the ones who follow the knights into battle."

I pondered this for a moment and turned to face Keiga, "So every high ranked member must have a Guardsman along side them?" Keiga nodded. I scoffed, "That must be annoying."

He frowned at me, but didn't respond.

We climbed the stairs to the teleporter of the town, which was a wide, circular stone surface elevated on a platform. When we reached the platform, the two men said in unison, "Teleport, fifteenth floor, Town of Kerning." A blue flame engulfed us, and soon I could no longer see Jarasu.

* * *

**Notes:**

Nothing much here, besides the reference to Kerning. In Maplestory, Kerning City is the town of theives.

Ootori inn was a reference to Kyouya Ootori, (I hope I'm spelling his name right) from Ouran Highschool Host Club.


	12. If And Only If

**November 30, 2021.** **Tokyo, Japan.  
**

"Kyyyyooooooouuuu-kun!" the voice of the girl who called my name was none other than Anzu. I felt the eyes of my peers all leer in my direction. I brought my neck down as if to hide my head. I put down my pencil and closed my notebook already knowing Sensei was most likely going to kick me out. Anzu busted through the should-be locked door standing with one hand at her hip and her head cocked onto her shoulder, almost winking at me. Sensei cleared his throat, "Yes, _Kyou-kun_, why don't you join your friend _outside_ of class?". I sighed sadly and packed my belongings and walked to the door without making any eye contact. _God she's so embarrassing; just waltzing into my class in the middle of a lecture like that._ The door closed behind us and I heard the unmistakable sound of the door locking. Anzu cheerfully laughed and playfully punched my arms and chest.

"I'm glad he kicked you out..." she looked into my eyes flirtatiously, "...Kyou-kun." She looked so seductive it was actually affecting my ability to think. "C'mon!" she announced a bit too loudly while tugging both my hands in her direction, bringing me to the stairwell. She let the door close all the way before she began speaking again. "O.K.! Now we're alone," she smiled while saying this, "You should take me on a date."

"A date? Where? How?" _A date? She's just so random sometimes but...She's cute. She's adorable, shit._

_"_Yes, a date. To the roof."

"The roof?"

"The roof."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah." She grabbed me by the collar and lifted herself to her tip-toes. She pulled me down closer to her face, close enough that she was too close to actually see well. "And you better make it super romantic too." She pressed her lips to mine softly while closing her eyes. My eyes followed hers and I let my hands find her waist as she placed her hands on my neck and cheek.

"_AH-HEM."_ We jumped back, surprised. I recognized the voice immediately. _Suzuki_.

Anzu was flustered and cheeks burned an obvious ribbon-red. "Oh, hey Suzuki-san!" she said with an unbelievable calmness. Suzuki pushed her glasses onto her nose and stepped out into the hallway without glancing at me. _Well that wasn't awkward._

_"Jesus I hate her._ She's so rude and just so full of herself it's disgusting," Anzu complained.

"Anzu it's alright, Suzuki-san is just y'know, trying hard to convince herself she's better than everyone else probably because she knows she really isn't." Anzu's eyes widened and mouth opened slightly. _What?_ She even tilted her head to the side. "What? What is it? Did I say something profound or...?" Her expression changed dramatically into a teary-eyed happiness.

"You said my name without any honorifics!" she yelled while flinging herself onto me. _Wow, yeah she's right..._ I thought about it for a while and my thoughts were cut off by a content "Mmm" sound coming from Anzu. I closed my eyes cheerfully wrapping my arms around her. "So about that date!" she flew back from my arms and grabbed my right hand with both of hers, _again_. She led me up four _long_ flights of stairs and opened the door to the roof once we arrived. I felt relived when I saw that it was empty of any peers or classmates. _Relived? Why am I relived?_ "C'mon Kyou-kun," Anzu said beaming brighter than a beacon.

"Yeah, yeah," I said while half running to catch up with her. She leaned against the fence and that made me a bit nervous but I decided it's no use worrying about stuff like that. She looked down at the tennis court and started humming. "Who're 'ya looking for?"

"My cousin, Ogma."

"Y'know, I already know Ogma is your cousin; I've met the guy before." She paid no attention and jumped slightly announcing that she had found him. She pointed down in his direction and I soon found him also.

"_Ogma!_" she yelled out. Ogma had a tennis racket cocked back, ready to swing at the in-coming ball but upon hearing his name, turned and was hit square in the side of his face. He dramatically fell to the ground and grabbed the ball then threw it in our direction, but it barely managed to get halfway up the building. He was yelling but I couldn't really hear him. Anzu laughed, extremely entertained.

"How're him and his girlfriend? What was her name again, uhm..."

"They broke up."

"Oh."

She looked serious for a moment and I must've too because when she did look my way she suddenly looked worried. I made a face that said "No, no I'm fine" and she smiled wide with just her thin lips.

"Kyou-kun," I grunted, telling her to continue, "Do you think we'll get married?"

"Anzu-chan..." She looked at me with her eyebrows frowning.

"Never mind. That was a stupid thing to say." She stepped away from me shaking her head back and forth vigorously.

I grabbed her hand and kissed her forehead, attempting to be comforting.

"We'll get married if, and only if, we both believe that we'll be happy together for the rest of our lives. I can't see the future, but when I'm with you and look at you it feels like you are my future." After finishing that sentence I felt beyond stupid. _That was so lame and, God, what a-_

_"_I'm in love with you, Kyou." My eyes stung and and knees felt weak.

"I'm in love with you, too, Anzu."

**July 11, 2023. Floor 20.**

A faint orange light flickered against my irritated eyelids. Everything at once came to me; I smelled the damp dirt and grass that I felt my sore, aching body laying against. My ears were ringing and heard a cracking of wood and twigs being burnt. A body was laying beside mine, warm, and by the sound of a feminine soft breathing, asleep. I sighed, and ended up yawning, realizing how exhausted I really am. _I feel out of my body, and just want to go home_.

Home? Where is home now? What is Gray n' Waste to me without my friends, without Horn? My eyes burned and I gritted my teeth so that my gums felt icy pains. My throat hurt and wouldn't let me scream, but I wanted to _so_ badly. I kept my eyes open long enough, putting up with the pain to look to my side, to whoever the girl was that was beside me.

I only saw the top of her head but from what I could tell she was my age. Her hair was neat and clean and I could even faintly smell it. Her hair was a blonde-red that looked natural. I slide my body back, trying to keep her head from falling as I moved. Her head went from my chest, to my stomach, and I realized I didn't really think this through, because no matter what her head is going to have to drop. I tried holding her head with both of my hands and as I did this, I quickly became nervous to wake her. I continued to slide backwards, as her head dropped to my thigh. My cheeks reddened as I saw how embarrassing this position is. She moved suddenly, pulling herself forward and yawning once. She was in a complete sitting position, then turned only the top half of her body in my direction. She looked surprise when she noticed me, but her expression quickly changed to a pleasant smile.

"You're finally awake huh?" She tilted her head and closed her eyes, adding them to her smile.

"You were asleep longer than me!" I protested.

She shook her head, telling me that I'm incorrect.  
"I _found_ you alseep, silly." She scratched her head and looked down, then rubbed her shoulders with each of her opposite hands.

_Found me? Found me where? Whenever I blacked out?_

"Who are you? Where did you find me? Why did you pick me up? What is-"

"C'mon stop with all the questions!"

My face turned sour and my speech stopped in its tracks. "Right now you'd be dead if I hadn't treated your poisoned wound." I gave her a puzzled expression. "The sword stab through your stomach. Yeah, anyway, whoever gave you that had a poisoned blade and you're lucky I had a high-level antidote on me because otherwise you'd be dead." She crossed her arms pouting.

"Thank you." I avoided making eye contact and did my best not to sound ungrateful.

"My name's Tomoyo. When addressing me please call me Tomoyo-san," she said pushing her thumbs together. A few moments went by without us saying anything, scratching our heads, just laying around.

Tomoyo opened her menu and pulled out a _savory_ looking sandwich. She proceeded to bite into it making a few noises of pleasure. My mouth watered at the sight and I tried to look away but my stomach complained loud enough for her to hear. She raised an eyebrow with one eye closed then held up her sandwich at me. I only looked at her, unsure of whether or not I should take a bite or two. She continued to hold it out to me despite my unresponsiveness. She lifted herself up and walked over to where I was sitting, sat herself right beside me, and held the sandwich in my face.

I sluggishly accepted the sandwich and once it was in my grasp I felt like I was looking at the food of the Gods. The bread was browned and the sauce was nearly dripping from between the two slices. There were chunks of potatoes and I-don't-know-what but it looked _so_ good. I realized I was starring at it instead of eating whenever Tomoyo cleared her throat, so I took a bite. I chewed. Then I swallowed. But there was a problem, it didn't have flavor. It was substance. Minus the flavor. I felt punched in the face with disappointment. "What? What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked me sounding sincerely curious. I didn't really respond, I just shrugged. From the corner of my eye I could see her nodding. "Yeah I bought it earlier and the chef I bought it from isn't really good with flavor; he makes it looks pretty, though."

I fell backwards, trying to look cool in front of her, but it didn't exactly work out because instead of landing on the bedroll my head hit a rock. My health dropped two points and I just felt so awful and uncool. She giggled at me and asked if I needed medical attention. I assured her that it takes more than just a rock to kill me, but at this point I'm not even sure about that anymore. "What's your name?" Tomoyo asked me. _Wow I haven't even told her my name yet,_ I thought.

"My name's Kyou. You can call me whatever you like when you address me." She nodded and smiled while saying my name a few times over.

"I like it! It rolls off the tongue easily," she said smiling. I thought that was a weird thing to say but, whatever. "So," she began, "Kyou-_kun_, what were you doing last that you remember?" She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her eyes peeked out at me cautiously.

I took a moment, sighed and reviewed every detail in my head before beginning, making sure I'll be able to explain without getting too moved or upset.

"You probably noticed the color of my cursor," she nodded, "Well orange players can't live safely within the town because constant fear of death thanks to the army. Or to be more specific, the _Aincrad Liberation Army._ Orange players pretty much have two, well, three options. One, become a solo player, two, die at the Army's hand, or three, form a congregation of sort. I chose option three and joined a group called Gray n' Waste. We weren't too picky with who we recruited. We had a 'don't ask don't tell' policy so I have no idea why any of the guys were oranged. But out of all the people I met there, everyone swore they were innocent, so, I'd like to believe that. I'd rather not get into why I'm orange, to be honest," I looked over at her to make eye contact because I'm really bad at keeping it, but she was looking off in the distance, just nodding her head at an extremely slow pace.

"Gray n' Waste quickly became a home to me. I made a few friends, but when they turned green they either went back to the towns or became something we called Coasters. Coasters were people that were ex-oranges and would help us survive by supplying and trading goods with us. They were our friends, I guess you could say. One day my, uh," I cleared my throat and fought back a sudden urge to cry, "my dad and I were walking to meet with the Coasters but there was a double agent in our party that was a higher ranking member for the ALA. He killed about ten of us, including my dad. He left me for dead. But, you found me. And now I'm here, telling you all this." I looked back at her again. She was still curled up holding herself, but this time her head was resting against he knees and she was silent.

"Tomoyo? Are you alight?" She threw her arms around me, sending me backwards, hitting my head against that same rock. Her cheek pressed against mine and I felt tears dropping down on me. She sniffled her nose over and over and just laid there on top of me. I wrapped both my arms around her, hugging her to me.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "I'm so sorry." I ran my fingers through her short, redish hair, and closed my eyes. "I've been so lonely, Kyou-kun, I'm glad I saved you." My eyes watered and nose felt clouded.

"Don't say stupid things like that," I ordered, trying not to cry. She agreed but didn't get up off of me. Instead she made herself more comfortable changing her position so half her body was on me and met her fingers in mine, taking my hand.

"Kyou-kun, can we go back to sleep?"

"Are we in a safe area?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then, yeah."

_She's so warm against me. She smells so nice, and feels so soft._ I turned my head so we were able to see each other. She offered me a soft and tired smile. I returned it back, as she closed her eyes. _I'll protect you. I'll be strong for you.  
_

Her breathing slowed and her breathes were short and quiet. Her features were so much softer now that she was asleep. Her cheeks were thin and eyes were like almonds. Her lips were full and nose was short. I smiled whenever I noticed a small freckle just above the left corner of her mouth, and tried to focus on the details in her face. _How long has it been since I've held someone like this?_ The image of Anzu burned in my mind, and I let myself cry until I could fall asleep.


	13. The Bullet Returns

**July 6, 2023. Floor 15. **

**Lucy Morikende:  
**

Maxis sighed deeply, slouching over and resting his elbows on his massive knees. "I guess I have a weakness for siblings," he opened a guild invitation window, sending two invites to Reo and I. To the left of Maxis, Atlas scoffed, as if remembering something unpleasant.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, interested.

He gave me a tired smile and waved his hand, "Oh, nothing dear. Nothing."

Ignoring him, I looked to my right, smiling down at Reo, whose eyes were wide with excitement. She clenched my cloak tightly before turning towards the invite window and tapping the 'Accept' option. I did so as well, as Maxis began to explain my assignment, due to our agreement.

"Well, Lucy-san," Maxis smiled at me from his throne-like chair, "Welcome to the Guardsmen."

I nodded, showing my appreciation, "Now who will I be protecting?" I asked eagerly.

"A young man known as Bullet," Atlas grunted, unamused, "He'll soon be a _vice-commander_ of our guild. He's smart, but reckless," his tone was serious and annoyed, "His recklessness will surely be the death of him."

Maxis quickly stood up, beaming down at me with his hands on his hips, "That's why you're here!"

I felt Reo tense up next to me, slowly grasping my right hand. She looked up at me, her wide, blue eyes showing obvious worry and lack of confidence. I stroked her cheek softly with my free hand, calming her.

I looked towards Maxis, still soothing my sister, "And when do I meet this man?"

He grinned, "I'd say whenever he joins."

"What?" I responded, sounding a bit too surprised, "He's not even in the guild yet?" _Is this a joke?_

He shrugged his huge shoulders, plopping down on his throne, "He'll be here shortly to agree to my proposition," he sounded confident, but lazy._  
_

I furrowed my eyebrows, a bit irritated, "And what if he says no?"

Maxis let out a roaring guffaw, "Oh," _how was that funny? _"He won't," he winked, "I'm sure of it."

**July 6, 2023. Floor 15. **

**Haru Hayai:  
**

The town of Kerning was a bit of an old-style Japanese looking town, with red tiled, curved roofs and slim, long buildings on each side of the wide, gray brick streets. Cherry blossom trees occasionally brightened the road, giving an already beautiful city even more luxury. I was stunned and actually upset with myself for never coming here.

A wide, dumb smile found way to my face as we began to walk down the street from the teleporter. Banto turned his head enough to see my expression, "You like it, eh?" he said with a smile.

I managed to squeak out, "It's beautiful!" as my eyes darted from side to side, admiring the architecture and artistry of the town.

Keiga chuckled, "You wouldn't believe how much an apartment here costs," _Oh, I'm sure I would, _"Last time I checked the price on one, it was up to 5 hundred thousand Col."

I sighed, as Keiga wiped away my hopes of ever living in a utopia such as this, "That's 'bout right..."

Ahead of me, Banto groaned, "And on our salaries, there's no way we'd make anything even close to that!"

Surprised, I asked, "Maxis pays you?" _I never got paid..._

"No!" Banto whined, "We get food and housing, but that's it."

"Well that's not all," Keiga chimed in, "Any rewards we find while on the job, like special items or weapons, we get to keep."

I nodded my head approvingly, "That seems fair. But where do you get your Col?"

"As I said," Keiga answered, his index finger raised, "Any rewards we find while on the job, we keep."

_I can work with that... _At this thought, I shook my head violently. _How could I even consider joining these guys again? They'll just get me killed!_ I stopped rattling my head for a moment to consider my situation, _Then again... _I thought, _There__'s safety in numbers._

I sighed loudly, I don't even know why I'm thinking about this. Maxis might not even want me back, he may just want to confirm that I'm alive or some crap...

Banto and Keiga began to get off topic of the guild, chatting about level requirements for certain food items, and I let my eyes drift around what I could see of Kerning. Very few players walked the streets, one or two every couple of blocks. But so far, I've seen five other Cygnus members. Which might mean that they claim this town as their turf, like gangs do in the real world. Minus the extortion and racketeering, I suppose.

Small booths owned by NPCs appeared occasionally on either side of the road, selling primarily food items, and I began to feel myself getting hungry.

As we passed by a steaming ramen booth, my mouth began to water with virtual saliva. My eyes locked on the booth, I strongly bumped into a halted Banto. I felt myself lose my balance and began to fall backwards, my heart jumped and I felt a large hand catch me by my back.

I turned my head over to see Keiga slumped over, holding me up, "Careful there, Bullet-sama," he chuckled.

Awkwardly, I stood up, "Th-thanks, Keiga-san." He smiled at me and pointed in Banto's direction.

I glanced towards Banto, who stepped aside and swung his arm ahead of him enthusiastically "Here we are!"

The building was a honey-yellow color, large wooden structure. Much bigger than the other buildings I've seen in Kerning. Deep red shingles curved upwards, creating a triangle shaped roof, giving the building a castle-like sense. Two large flags of Cygnus were hung appropriately on each side of the front wall, just as the first HQ on the second floor. A wide staircase lead to the deep red double doors, and Banto lead us up the stairs to the front door.

I felt my chest begin to heat up with nervousness, and I forced myself to take deep breathes, calming my nerves.

I couldn't understand why I was nervous, but I felt like a child who had done something wrong and was about to face the consequences. In my mind I reassured myself, creating a false sense of bravery. I've literally done nothing wrong, so I have no reason to be nervous. Right? Banto opened the wide double doors and motioned me inside. "Father Maxis is right through there." he pointed towards two brown double doors in the center of the large, gray lobby.

"You're not coming?" I asked sheepishly.

Keiga responded, "Those weren't in the orders, sir."

I sighed, ignoring the 'Sir', "Damn..." I mumbled, "Well I'll see you guys in a couple minutes, I guess."

They waved me off, closing the large doors behind me. I shoved my hands in my pockets as I looked around the gray lobby. It was empty, aside from three identical double doors with bright, brass handles. One in the middle, the left wall, and the right. I could only identify that one had to be the sleeping quarters, and the one I was walking towards would be the meeting hall.

As I arrived at the specified doors, I sighed deeply, pulling my hands from my pockets, I slowly tugged on the handles, pulling open the doors.

The hall was a spacious area, probably taking up the majority of the building. The signature gray of the building was present on every wall, with marble-like columns separated evenly about the right and left walls.

A familiar voice roared out to me, "Ah, welcome Haru-chan!" I looked towards Maxis, who sat atop a large throne-like seat on a small marble platform with two armed guards in Cygnus robes on each side of him, "I've been expecting you."

I grunted lazily, slowly stepping towards his platform.

His physical appearance literally had not changed a bit. He looked like he did the day I left him. I was admittedly disappointed by his figure, As I was hoping he would be wearing blisteringly white robes and a large, priest-like hat, due to his title of 'Father'. I resisted laughing at the mental image.

"You look good!" he called out, "I see you've been keeping up with the levels of the frontliners, yes?"

I sighed again, "Mourning in self pity will get you nowhere, fast." I despised the truth of this sentence, and scolded myself in my mind for saying it.

He shook his head approvingly, "Good for you, Haru-chan. You seem to have taken your brothers deaths rather well."

I grimaced and anger rose in my chest, but I bit my tongue, fighting the urge to tell him off.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, shut my eyes and groaned, "What can I do for you, Maxis? Oh wait, I'm sorry," I formed air quotations with my fingers, "'Father?'"

He chuckled, never breaking his composure, as usual, "Now, now, Haru-chan," he wagged his finger at me, "No need for all of the hostility," he sat up, showing me his obvious size and began to walk down the marble stairs, "But I suppose I should tell you why you're here."

"If you'd like," I shrugged, "I'm just happy to see your beautiful face."

He gave his usual roaring laugh, "Come now, Haru-chan, you're far too young for me!" At this, he and his two guards chuckled hysterically, and I became noticeably annoyed, letting a scowl form on my face.

He stopped laughing and hushed his guards, rubbing the back of his head, "Yeesh, Haru-chan. You take everything too seriously."

I avoided his gaze, "I get that a lot. Now, back to business, yeah?"

He looked surprised, "Oh yes, sure. Well, to put it simply Haru-chan," he looked down at me with gleaming, determined eyes, "I want you back." He dramatically hung a lip and dropped to one knee, holding either hand out towards me.

I felt no surprise, really. I had been silently contemplating my response since I was caught by Keiga and Banto. I knew my answer, and I knew it was the right choice. But I've been acting like a brat ever since that day in January. Avoiding Cygnus and Maxis at all costs, deciding whether or not to jump into the never ending virtual sky. So I knew I owed Maxis an answer that would satisfy him. But I also owed myself some comfort in the life that followed me with this answer.

"Sure."

He seemed taken aback by my quick response, "Really? Just like that?"

I shook my head, "I have my conditions, of course."

He smiled and shrugged, "I expected nothing less," he waved his hand, motioning me to continue.

I made a fist with my right hand and held it shoulder length, "One," I raised one finger as I stated this, "I want my own room," I raised another finger appropriately, "I get to choose the boss battles I participate in, " and another, "I don't want a bodyguard." I've noticed how Maxis' fangirls always trail him everywhere and I _do not_ want that.

He corrected me, "Guardsmen!"

I sighed, "Whatever..."

He moved his massive fist to his chin and began to nod. "Alright," he exclaimed, "I agree to all of those except one, you must have a guardsmen. It's dangerous out there, and I can't have our Vice-roy walking the streets alone," he beamed as he said this.

I raised an eyebrow, "Vice-roy?"

"That's right."

"I'm not exactly leadership material," I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, actually..." his voice trailed, "Think of yourself as a uh, symbol. A beacon for the other players to see Cygnus as other than just a frontline guild, a family, of sorts."

I grinned, "I guess that's where the 'Father' comes in, eh?"

He looked embarrassed, "You'd be correct."

I read his words in my mind, trying to understand his meaning, "So I'd be a mascot?" I asked with a bit of hostility in my voice.

He grinned, "Of sorts."

I sighed, not really caring of what purpose I serve. As long as he doesn't put me in charge of another life, I'm happy. I suppose the guard isn't _that_ bad, right? Someone following a couple meters behind, watching out for thieves and whatever else they look for. I fought back a heavy yawn, the lack of sleep taking effect on me as the morning faded to afternoon. I hastily nodded my head approvingly to Maxis' proposal, "Let's get it over with."

He gave me a wide smile, beaming at me. He put his hands on his hips and exclaimed, "Welcome back, Haru-kun!" _Haru-kun, huh?_

I smiled weakly, "Thanks, Maxis."

"Your brothers would want this."

I grimaced and my eyes threatened to water, but I forced them shut and tried to focus on something else, I managed to squeak out, "I know."

"Now, time to meet your guardsmen."

"Huh? Already?"

He nodded and shouted a name I had thought I heard wrong. My heart jumped and I convinced myself that he hadn't said what I thought he said.

I heard the doors open behind me, and I whipped myself around to see the girl I had once met on the second floor standing before me in white, leather armor. A sabre clutching her waist where a cyan skirt lay.

Her wide, blue eyes sparkled to me, and I found it hard to pull my gaze from them. Her hair looked just the way she had it when we met, and I felt my mouth begin to slowly drop with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

She stared at me for a moment before muttering, "It's you."

**July 6, 2023. Floor 15.**

**Lucy Morikende:**

He began to stutter rapidly. As if he were scared to talk to me. I'm sure he wasn't expecting me. After all, we had only met once. I'll admit, he hasn't crossed my mind since he helped me out that night.

After a few seconds of rambling, he stopped himself and put his hands behind his back and nervously said, "Hey."

I smiled at his awkwardness, "Nice to see you again."

Maxis looked surprised, his eyebrows raised, "You know each other?"

I nodded, "Somewhat," I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly, "I've actually forgotten your name, Bullet-san."

He gave me a weak smile and introduced himself.

"Haru-kun, huh?" I repeated his name a few times to get used to it. It rolled off the tongue and was easy to remember. Short and sweet. For a moment I scolded myself in my mind for forgetting.

He turned to Maxis, "Will that be all?" He addressed Maxis as a peer, not as an authority. I found this odd and a bit disrespectful, but Maxis seemed to take no offense.

"Oh, one more thing," Maxis opened a window in his inventory and equipped a key, placing it in Haru's hand, "This is to an apartment on this floor. The address is in the key's description, so you'll have no trouble finding it," he beamed down at Haru with a glow of affection and pride, it seemed.

Haru thanked him and began walking towards the door as Maxis shouted, "Your uniform will be in shortly, Haru-kun!"

Now next to me, Haru shook his head, grinning, he replied, "Looking forward to it, Maxis-sama."  
He swung the doors open and looked to me, he smiled warmly, his wide, green eyes reminded me of emeralds and I couldn't stop staring at them. He nodded his head towards the exit, and I followed him like a pet to her master. _How humbling_, I thought_. _

As we exited the Cygnus building, Haru began accepting numerous friend requests as well as a guild request, which reminded me to invite him to a party. Upon doing so, he flicked his head in the direction of a nearby ramen booth, and darted towards it at lightning speed. Leaving me standing awkwardly in the middle of the rather empty street. I sighed, walking towards the ramen booth.

He began ordering large amounts of food from the NPC, sparking my curiosity and I asked, "You must be hungry, hm?"

He chuckled, "I haven't eaten today," he put his finger to his chin, glancing at the roof of the booth, "Or yesterday, now that I think about it."

I was taken aback by his statement, how could he not be feeling fatigue after a day and a half without food? He can't be _that_ disciplined!

After accepting his food, which as the screen showed, came to a total of two hundred Col, he motioned me to follow him to a nearby bench under a sakura tree, accepting my party request with his free hand.

He silently offered me a bowl. Accepting it, I thanked him and took the initiative to start a conversation, "So, how has SAO been treating you?" after saying this, I immediately groaned in my head, could I be any more boring?

He seemed to take no offense, though, replying warmly to my lame question, "Pretty bad," he smiled as he slurped his ramen, "Although I shouldn't complain, as I'm sure others are far worse off," I nodded, motioning him to continue, "It was kinda fun at first. But after I met Maxis..." his words fell and he stared into his ramen, as if remembering something he didn't want to, "Something bad happened, and I went solo. But I know that this is what's best for me. The best way to get out of this world," he turned to me and smiled broadly, "Enough about me, what about you?"

I finished my bite of ramen, thinking of what to say. _Well, _I thought, _I found out my sister was_ _here without telling me, and now I'm just trying to get by and protect her. That's the only reason I'm your guard, really._

Jeez, I'd be surprised if he didn't storm off if I were to tell him this.

"I'm here with my sister, Reo, and I'm just trying to survive with her, I guess," I glanced towards Haru, who had a warm yet distant look on his face as he stared into the sky. "Not as interesting as your story, though."

He looked at me with another warm smile, "I think you're interesting, Lucy-chan."

I felt my face heat up and I could tell I was blushing, I forced myself to focus on the ramen and began to hastily try to finish off the bowl.

**July 6, 2023. Floor 3.**

**Lucy Morikende:  
**

As we reached Haru's destination, a hill near the town of Belos, he asked me to stay put at the bottom of the hill, "I'll only be a few seconds, no need to come up."

I found it curious that he would ask me to stay at the bottom of a hill on the third floor, but I was determined not to let my curiosity get the better of me. So I stood with my arms crossed, shutting my eyes and trying not to think about it.

This lasted for a good two minutes, but I could hold myself no longer. I have to know what he's doing up there.

I creeped slowly up the hill, trying not to make any noise as I ascended upon the top. A large willow tree sat at the edge of the hill, and Haru was slumped over two large marble bricks that seemed to be planted into the ground. I squinted at the bricks, trying to decipher the words written on them. In Japanese, the stone to the right read, "Karuji Hayai", the stone left of Haru was etched in the same way, but with the words, "Maruke Hayai".

Haru stood weakly ahead of me, as if he had to pull himself from the stones. Facing the ground, he stepped slowly towards me and looked at me with tired, wet eyes, "Let's go," he muttered, his voice shaking a small amount, as he descended the hill. I waited a moment, looking back at the stones.

* * *

**Notes:**

Belos is the beginner town in La Tale Online.

Reo is the name of a main character in a really cute yuri-anime.

I personally like how it switches from Lucy to Haru POV. It really gives you a perspective on the two of them. There will be more chapters in which we see the world through the eyes of Lucy.

In case you're wondering, Haru is also short for something, just like Maru and Karu. I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to it or not, so I'll just tell you Haru's real name now, Haruko.


	14. Massacred

**July 12, 2023. Floor 20.**

**Kyou Komoto:**

"Kyou-kun, wake up sleepyhead."

I didn't want to. I don't want to stay another goddamn day in this goddamn game. I don't want to grind for more goddamn Cor to buy more goddamn equipment to fight more goddamn monsters for goddamn EXP for goddamn levels to get more goddamn strength to fight stronger goddamn monsters to get more EXP to... To what? To die? _To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream._ Hamlet rings in my head, stained from the relentless hours of rehearsal a few years ago. "To be," I begin aloud, "or not to be? That is the question," Tomoyo looked at me strangely, as if I was speaking French, "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, a sea of...a sea of...crap." _God I forgot, wow, wow how could I forget that? _I balled my fingers into fists and hit them against my forehead.

"And by opposing, end them?" My head flew up to look at Tomoyo as she brightly smiled at me.

"What?" I asked hastily.

"What?"

"How do you know that?"

"Oh, you mean _the most famous and most recognizable piece of literature ever? _Gee, I sure do wonder." She playfully winked at me.

I sat indian-style secretly admiring her. Her attention was easily shifted to a brilliantly colored butterfly type of creature that happened to be flying by. She stared at it, mouth wide open and her whole head followed it as it flew past.

I noticed I was smiling and quickly made my face turn sour again. _How could a helpless girl like her have made it this far alone? _I debate whether or not to ask her if she came into SAO alone or if she's lost someone along the way. But that's so personal and it'd be awfully rude to ask that. _Or maybe I'm just being prudish. _Damn, I don't even know.

"Kyou-kun, what're ya' thinkin' 'bout?" she asked me, then immediately followed up with an extravagant smile, inching closer to me.

"Why are you talking like that?" I asked in a rather rude tone that wasn't on purpose.

"Li' wha'?" she said giggling. I let my head fall forward and appear limp in disapproval. "Oh c'mon, lighten up dude." I silently agreed. _I'm probably being too serious_. I tried giggling along with her, but only squealed awkwardly.

After the sound's echoes were done echoing she looked at me dumbfounded. "What was that? You're mating call?" She laughed hysterically at her own jab.

"Yeah, it's pretty hot isn't it?" I did it again, but louder and on purpose this time. Tomoyo rejoiced with laughter, holding her sides and nearly choking on herself. She made random arm movements and shook her head from side to side.

"Stop!" she ordered, still laughing. I laughed along with her, until her face suddenly looked serious.

"What? What's wrong?"

Tomoyo grabbed the top of my shirt and softly pulled me to her. Her eyes closing slightly, she moved forward with her lips barely spread apart. My hands shook violently and chest felt hollow. I pushed her so she landed on her back and stood up.

"_What are you doing?!"_

Anzu's face burned vivid in the back of my mind. Her long black hair and pink thin lips. My gums felt icy, and teeth dug into my tongue.

"I-I'm sorry Kyou-kun, I don't know what I was thinking." She looked down and held her own hands as she turned herself away from me, embarrassed.

"It's not a big deal; don't worry about it," I told her. We sat in silence for a few moments, relaxing, embracing the awkwardness between us. I became lost in thought thinking about useless things like why oxygen is breathable. I thought of Gray n' Waste and laughed when I remembered how Horn was so proud of that table he built. My eyes widened when I realized something. _All my things are still in my drawer._ I stood up, wiping any dirt from off my butt, and asked Tomoyo if she'd be up for a pretty big hike.

"To where?"

"Gray n' Waste."

She questioned why and when I explained everything to her she was pretty excited to go. She gathered all her things and put out the fire that's been self-sustaining for a while now. Once I realized I have no idea where we actually are, I asked her, and she said she didn't exactly know.

"When I found you I was just aimlessly walking, so once I picked you up I panicked to find a safe area and this just happened to be the closest one nearby."

"Do you remember which way you came from, though?"

She pushed her lips together and looked around a complete three hundred and sixty degrees. She looked sharply in one direction for a moment, then shrugged.

"Do you have anything? Like a compass or a map?"

She nodded and approached me, revealing a map she had crumbled in her main pocket. I'm not really the best with maps but from what I could tell we were in bum-fuck nowhere. "There are literally no landmarks near us for like, maybe ten kilometers." She sighed.

"Well at least _I have a map_." She has a point, so I didn't complain any further. I continued to look at the map but it wasn't in Japanese so I couldn't read it. It was in either French or English, I can't tell. I'm guessing English.

"Can you read English?" She nodded.

"My mom is from North America," she said proudly, "I'm half-white. It's pretty cool; I get to travel to a state called Florida every summer. It's bea-"

"You're getting off topic." She made a pouty-face and looked at me grudgingly.

"O.K., what is this lake here called?" I pointed to a huge lake that took up literally a fourth of the map. If it was the Erianta Lake then I knew exactly where we were.

"It's the... Ear...eee...an..." she struggled.

"...Erianta?"

"Yeah, that."

"Good," I said with a smug smile, "I know _exactly _where we are!"

"So where on the map are we?" She held the map out for me.

"Right..." I dragged my pointer finger around looking for where we were but my finger slowed as I realized _I have no clue where we actually are. _When I failed to point, Tomoyo sighed and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Since neither of us know where we are, why don't we try to get an idea by climbing a tree or something." She looked up at the monstrously giant demon trees around us. "Well, by 'we' I mean you." _I'm not no goddamned ninja. _I made a long and drawn out 'hmm' sound until she got the point. She sighed and rolled her eyes. _She seems to do that a lot._

"Fine," I said with a single breathe. I looked down the tree that stood towering before me. I gulped and began to contemplate how I might actually climb this thing. "Uhh..."

"What's your dexterity like?"

"I'm pure-dex."

She both scoffed and laughed at the same time, which is a weird sound. "No, seriously."

"Yeah, seriously."

"That's insane," she commented. I felt pissed. Her thinking less of me or something really just bothered me.

"Okay well, watch this. Prick."

With that I drew a dagger and gripped it firmly, and in my other hand I held onto a kunai that, attached at its butt, was a chain long enough to throw and yank back.

I eyed Tomoyo once more, and, at about fifty meters away from the giant demon tree, I took off. About ten meters away from the tree I pushed upwards with all my might, jumping as high as I possibly could, once in the air and nearly at the tree's surface, I lunged forward pushing my dagger into the bark. Once it was firmly into the bark, I pulled upwards on it, consequently spinning myself around it.

I loosened my grip so I'd spin faster, and, taking full advantage of my momentum, let myself fly back-first higher up. I turned my head and hastily looked for a branch that was within the correct distance, and once found, I threw my kunai in its direction. The chain circled around the branch as I began to feel myself losing speed. The chain tightened itself around the branch, and I began to fall backwards, but with a rather abrupt pull, I was left hanging onto the dagger's handle. I looked down. My palms immediately began to sweat with the realization of how high I actually was.

I gripped the chain coming from the handle, and climbed it like a rope in gym class. Once I made way to the branch, finally, I took a moment to regain any composure I might've nervously lost, and then slowly but surely continued my siege up the never-ending tree. Once at the top I was able to peer out from behind hundreds of thousands of leaves, and what I saw was awe-inspiring. A smooth landscape not far from here, one that reminded me of the desert the Gray n' Waste was native to. A beautiful blue lake that went on further than I was able to see. Snow-capped mountains way off in the distance, that I knew just past them was a town that Tomoyo could find rest in. I smiled.

A strong gust of wind pushed me, I lost my grip, _oh shit._ The fall down was much quicker than the rise up. Needless to say.

I couldn't exactly feel my body at this moment in time, it was cold and icy and I'm probably under a paralysis condition. I heard Tomoyo giggling not too far from me, as her footsteps grew louder with each step. "Wow Kyou-kun, that was really something to marvel at. Well, up until where you fell from grace. Literally," she bite her finger as she said this, trying her hardest not to continue laughing at me. She gasped. "Poor baby, your health is in the yellow!" She ran to my side and took to her knees grabbing both of my hands, unsure of how to help.

_Poor baby? Geez._

"I'm okay Tomoyo, really, I promise." I closed my eyes and thought about how easily I could've just died. If I was already at a lower health whenever I fell it would've been that easy. I'd be gone for. The thought if it sent chills through my entire body. I felt them from my toes to my finger tips.

"So, which way do we need to go, then?"

"Oh, right. Uhm," I took a moment to remember everything I saw, "That way!" I pointed directly ahead of me. Tomoyo took my hand in both of hers and sprinted off with delight. The center of my chest hurt and my heart beat intensely.

We slowed down to a modest hike after about twenty minutes, having good luck with not encountering any unwanted monster battles or players thus far. We cleared out of the not-so-immense-after-all jungle in nearly no time at all, and ended up walking on patchy grasslands instead.

Another hour into our enduring walk, the grass has stopped appearing and now we're trekking on through a wasteland with only the occasional raisin of a tree. I could feel us inching closer to our destination every minute. Tomoyo began to drag her feet, more noticeably every so often.

"Kyou-kun... I can't do this anymore," she said whining just so pleasantly.

"Tomoyo-san we are _almost_ there I promise, I promise, we are so close please just pick up your goddamned feet some more and you'll be able to rest all you can once we're there." My right eyebrow twitched and feet sweat, as did my palms, like they usually do.

"But I-I can't," she said as she literally collapsed to the dirt ground. I went from annoyed to worried as I hovered over her, attempting to play doctor.

"Tomoyo, do you need water, a drink? I have some ale; I mean I know you're not twenty yet but who gives a shit." She looked at me as if she was dying and I was offering her a deal on car insurance.

"Drinking is," she lifted her weak and limp hand to lamely slap my cheek, "bad for you, Kyou-kun." _Drinking is bad for me? What's bad for me is being in a goddamned game for the rest of my_ life.

"Yeah," I sincerely agreed, "You're right. I really shouldn't drink, huh?" I discarded my ale, not like I'll need it. It's bad for me.

"Just let me sleep a while okay?" she 'asked' in a commanding tone.

"We're so close, like, maybe another twenty minutes and there'll be a bed waiting for you." She didn't respond. Just snored at me. I smacked myself in frustration then began to lift her underneath her arms.

"What are you doing?!" she maniacally asked me.

"Carrying you."

"No you're not."

"Okay."

I proceeded to lift her as I cuffed my left arm underneath her legs and wrapped my right arm around her back and neck, letting my hand hold her shoulder. She pouted, but I don't really care.

I began to walk like this, feeling exhausted myself, but I'm no hypocrite so I'll suck it up and keep walking until we get there.

The disfigured trees began to look familiar, so a spike in vitality was, for sure, called for.

I smiled as I managed to see off in the distance the homey eerie fog that I loved so much. _Home_. Home? I felt something wet on my sleeve, and looked down to see Tomoyo unrealistically fast asleep, drooling. Her mouth was wide open even though I could tell she was breathing through her nose.

"Tomoyo," I called, "We're here."

"You're so handsome, Kyou-kun," she said sheepishly.

"What?" She opened her eyes, surprised and confused, squirming around, managing to make me let go of her, consequently dropping her onto the dirt. Her breasts nearly fell out of her shirt thanks to her ungraceful spasms. She covered her chest with both her arms crossed, holding on to her shirt. Her cheeks, no, her entire face blistered red.

"P-pervert!"

"They're actually bigger than I thought..." While what I said was true, I only bothered saying it to get a reaction. My face looked puzzled, but in reality I was trying my hardest not to laugh. Her eyes swelled up and eyebrows frowned, her lips curved both up and downwards and, damn it she's gonna cry. "No, Tomoyo! I'm just teasing you," I said apologetically.

Her face dramatically shifted from distressed to pleased, along with a perky smile. "Good! If you're really sorry then you'll continue to carry me until we're there."

I frowned, but agreed. As I lifted her up once again, she happily pressed her cheek to my chest and her eyes smiled.

It didn't take much longer to arrive. I set Tomoyo down and it was obvious that she was uneasy. She basically hid behind me, grabbing at my fingers and clasping them tight in hers. I don't blame her, though. The entrance of Gray n' Waste wasn't occupied by a friendly face, or any face at all, for that matter. It was quiet, no, silent inside. I couldn't hear anything, and I know my hearing level isn't _that_ low. My muscles tensed and I began to break into a cold sweat, my fingers shook with cowardice. "Tomoyo, stay out here."

"Please be safe Kyou-kun." I nodded.

She climbed a tree not far, sort of roosting in it, and I decided to myself that she'd be okay if I left her alone for a while. I went under the still 'temporary' flag, through the main doors, and shook my head in disbelief.

There was no one, the table was moved off to a corner, the chairs were thrown about. Any pelts that separated the personals were either gone, or on the floor.

Only, maybe half the torches were still lit, or there, and random weapons were stabbed in the wall, on the floor, or piercing beds. I ran to my personal, found my drawer still intact, and entered Horn's code. I felt the blood drain from my face. There was nothing. No weapons. No Col. No letter. No map.

I walked out of the ruined base. I couldn't think. All the men. All my friends, my family members. All of Gray n' Waste. Were they massacred? "_I'll kill you,_" I promised Misturugi, "_I'll hang you from a tree._" Two gentle arms wrapped around my waist as a calming voice called my name.

"It's alright, Kyou-kun. It's okay."

I put my hands to my eyes. _Don't cry, not again._

"Kyou?" I turned and shook my head. My face was ugly. "Kyou I'm here for you I swear." She stroked both my cheeks, wiping a few tears off them, and pressed her lips against mine.

I kissed her. I let my eyes close, I let myself be held. I let myself be hers. _Please don't leave me like Horn did. Please don't leave me like my father did. _She pressed her forehead against mine, and hugged me without letting go. We stood there, in a ruined desert, my old home, dirty, hungry, and exhausted. "I'll stay with you, Kyou-kun." And I doubted her. But I wanted it to be true so badly.

"Please don't die, Tomoyo."

She shook her head and kissed me again.


	15. Play Dates

**July 6, 2023. Floor 15.**

**Haru Hayai:  
**

I stared about the spacious loft that Maxis had given to me as a "welcoming" present. It was eastern style, as in the middle of the living room, instead of a traditional Japanese dinner table, there was a coffee table with two small couches on either side. Along with various other small tables where you'd probably place decorations of some sort.

A brick framed fireplace sat in the middle of the left wall, with virtual wooden logs stacked neatly on the side. I admired the fireplace and knew that this is where I would spend much of my time in the house, as fireplaces have always been a small fascination of mine.

The room was painted a light gray with oak frames and cabinets. A small kitchen was separated from the living room by a bar-like area with small stools seated at the bar. Although the kitchen seemed rather useless to me, it was still nice to have. My cooking skill was at a comfortable zero, as I had no intentions of ever having to cook.

A doorway stood on the left wall next to the fireplace, leading to the bedroom. As I inspected it, I was surprised to find two separate twin beds on either side of an oak night stand. In my mind I questioned Maxis' purpose for giving me two beds, but I figured the apartment had likely just come with them rather than a queen or a king.

Lucy wandered silently around the apartment, her eyes gleaming with jealousy and admiration. I found her puppy-like interest amusing, so I sat quietly on one of the couches and watched the show. Up until now, I had forgotten she was here. As she became deathly silent after we left the third floor.

In my mind, I scolded myself for bringing her with me. It could have waited, and it wasn't exactly a good way to start off a new relationship. But I was glad that she hadn't asked any questions, as I wouldn't have enjoyed explaining.

My attention was brought back to her as she plopped down next to me with her eyes closed and her arms crossed. I raised an eyebrow and grinned, "What's wrong?"

She kept her position but opened only one eye and turned her head to look at me, "It's awesome."

I giggled a bit, but stopped myself when I noticed how girly it sounded. "I barely thanked Maxis, now that I think about it." I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands. The shock that came from my reuniting with Lucy kept me from totally processing what he was saying, and I felt pretty guilty for not thanking him properly.

"You're a man of few words," she said, making me bring my head from my hands and turn to face her.

I frowned, "You've known me for a day, so far."

She nodded, breaking her strict position to a more relaxed one, "And in this day I think I've been the one to keep the conversation going most of the time."

I sighed, unwilling to argue with her, "Are you hungry?"

"A bit, but I've got to pick something up on the way home, so I'll just eat that, I suppose."

_Sounds like she's got someone to_ feed.. My curiosity was sparked along with a hint of jealousy, though I quickly pushed those feelings out of my mind, "Want some ramen?" I offered.

Her eyes showed obvious interest and I could see that she was fighting back a smile, "Are you sure?" she asked excitedly.

I chuckled a bit and opened my menu, opening a trade option between us, "Sure, I usually buy in bulk, so I've got some to spare."

Her eyes sparkled as she accepted the trade and she thanked me anxiously. She began to bid me goodnight but I stopped her, not wanting her to leave, "Before you go," I rattled my mind trying to think of something to keep her a while longer when my eyes fell upon the fireplace, _bingo_. "Help me start the fireplace."

She raised her eyebrows and pouted a bit, "Can't you do that yourself?"

Scratching my head, trying to look embarrassed, "I don't really know anything about 'em," I lied.

"Fine," she sighed and walked towards the fireplace. I sat Indian style a few feet behind her, watching intently. She sat on her knees a bit further than expected from the fireplace. Bending over and resting her elbows on the carpet, playing with the fireplace options. It only took me a second to notice that her butt was raised in a rather showy manner. Its upside down heart shape was outlined by her skirt, igniting my hormones and sending a spark from my heart to my stomach. I fought my teenage urge to stare, forcing myself to look at a corner of the wall.

I fiddled with my fingers, trying to distract myself when she finally announced her success.  
I breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up, freeing me from the urge to admire her work of art.

I quietly thanked her and she showed me her adorable smile, closing her eyes and bringing her arms behind her back. I weakly smiled back at her, unsure of how to match her beauty. She again bid me goodnight, slowly making her way to the door, I held it open for her and as she exited, she reminded me to be at the headquarters early tomorrow, "You don't wanna be late for your first official day," she winked.

I felt heat rush to my face and I frantically looked to the ground, "I'll be there. Goodnight, Lucy-chan."

"Night, Haru-kun."

As her footsteps grew fainter, I shut the door softly. Turning around, I let my body slide against the door, falling to a sitting position and resting my head against the door. I sighed deeply, wishing that she would come back. I hoped that she could have forgotten to give me something so that she would have to come back and I could see her one more time.

Longing will get you nowhere though, as I knew this from experience. Standing up, I shuffled towards the fireplace. Sitting Indian style, I became lost in the flaming pixels.

**July 7, 2023. Floor 15.**

**Haru Hayai:  
**

I over exaggerated my yawns, making sure Lucy understood my exasperation.

She yawned as well, but not in the groaning sense like mine, "Don't worry Haru-kun," she managed to make out through the yawn, "It won't take long."

I pouted, "I'm sure Maxis will find a way to make it as long and embarrassing as possible."

A 6 A.M. 'initiation ceremony' was being held today. Basically introducing me to the current members. I assume Maxis found this necessary as he would like to have everyone meet their new mascot.

"I don't see why it has to be this early," she whined, "All you're doing is getting a uniform. This could have waited a few hours."

I shrugged, glancing about the now-foggy Kerning. Through the gray mist, the cherry blossoms broke through, and a smile found way to my face.

Lucy turned towards me, and I quickly forced the smile away, "What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" she asked playfully.

I tried to ignore her childlike cuteness, unintentionally coming off a bit annoyed, "Just that this fog is irritating. I feel like it's hiding the town."

She considered this a moment, "True, but if you think about it, it's pretty amazing how they programmed the fog itself."

I hadn't even considered that, and a moment of sudden realization sparked inside of me. Everything in this world was programmed. Every feeling. Every sense. Possibly every emotion. This world was beautiful, yet horrifying. The possibility of death lingered over everything. Creating an ominous cloud over the players and their day to day lives.

But, then again, the real world also had its share of risks. You could easily get hit by a car, and you're gone. But I suppose that this world, Aincrad, had more risks. Which we all seemed to highlight and focus on. Never really seeing the true beauty of it all.

I felt like an idiot. I hated that I had ignored it all. If everyone could see that this world was just as good as ours, if not better, they would live much happier here.

Lucy noticed my silence and began poking my cheek.

I turned to her, giving a lame smile saying '_I__'m__ okay_'.

She didn't prod any longer, which was one of the things I've grown to like about her. She knows how to handle her curiosity.

We walked in silence towards the HQ as I reread everything I had previously thought of. Rehearsing it for no reason, just self satisfaction, I suppose.

Climbing the stairs of the headquarters, I decided to give Lucy some insight as to what I was thinking about, explaining my thought process in a mix of over exaggerated explanations and nervous ramblings. After a while she held her index finger up, hushing me as she said, "All of that's just dandy, Haru-kun," she had a stern tone, forcing me to whine sheepishly, "But I for one, have no intentions of staying here longer than I have to."

I sighed in exasperation, "Not what I meant. As long as we're here, we might as well take in the beauty of it and enjoy it, right?"

She shrugged, halfway approving and disapproving my statement, "Meh, but just 'cause I'm stuck here doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You're impossible," I groaned.

She winked playfully, taking my hand and guiding me through the double doors and leading me into the massive meeting room, where surely half, if not all, of Cygnus stood in two large groups on each side of the room, leaving a narrow walkway to the throne in which Maxis sat in.

She came to a halt as she looked about the packed room. All eyes fell on the two of us, and I quickly pulled my hand away from hers as I felt myself wildly blushing. I turned my attention towards Maxis, feeling no one but Lucy's eyes on me, a sharp sense of guilt overtook me, but I swallowed it and walked forward.

"Nice of you to join us, Haru-kun," Maxis called out, "Only about 10 minutes late."

I shrugged, stopping at the staircase that led to the throne, "Fashionably late, I guess."

"Of course, of course. Come closer," he chuckled, waving me forward.

I glanced in Lucy's direction, noticing that she was in a sort of military stance with her head bowed. I sighed, ascending the stairs.

When I reached the throne, Maxis stood up, grabbed me by the shoulders, and whisked me around to face the crowd of Cygnus.

From the top of the stairs I could nearly count the actual members of Cygnus, and from the looks of it, we were only about thirty or so strong.

Maxis began to do his usual thing, allowing me to zone out while he basically introduced me as the mascot and 'vice-roy'. I kept my eyes on Lucy while he did this. Not once did she look up, which confused me, but I doubt that it was me pulling my hand away that upset her. Yet, that was the only reason I could think of.

As I felt Maxis' speech coming to an end, he threw a fist into the air, and the crowd of members including Lucy all fell to a knee with their heads bowed.

Blushing, I mumbled, "Oh, wow. That is _so_ not necessary."

Maxis whisked me around once again, causing me to lose focus on my surroundings.

He stared at me intently, his wide, dark eyes intimidating me to the point where I wanted to cower behind something. "Haru-kun," he began, "do you accept your position in Cygnus with honor and responsibility?"

"Sure, sure..." _anything to get this over with._

He gave one sharp nod, opened a trade menu between us, and sent me a list of armor items labeled separately with the name he had given me before each of them. One item, however, was not an armor item. Instead of the shield icon used to represent the armor items, this item was labeled with a sword icon, signifying a weapon named 'Queen's Royal'.

My eyes were locked on the text for a while, and Maxis cleared his throat impatiently, as he had already accepted the trade. I hastily pressed the circle signifying accept, thanking Maxis and equipped the armor rapidly.

Glancing down, my eyes were greeted by blinding white pants, shoes, a short sleeved jacket with a gray undershirt, and some sort of desert cloak, wrapping around my neck and falling down my back. Upon further examination of the clothing, I noticed cyan lining on every article of armor. I patted my back, feeling for the handle of my new blade. The sheath was a matching white, covered by the desert cloak, though the handle of the Royal stuck out over my right shoulder, allowing me to slide it out quickly for examination.

The longsword was very rapier-like. Light with a thin blade, though unlike a raper, it still had the flat sides. The handle was plated with silver and neatly decorated with aqua marine jewels, just as Maxis' great-sword.

As I moved the blade through the air, the crowd of Cygnus gave appropriate "Ooh"s and "Ah"s.

Maxis broke my concentration on the blade, "What do you think?" he asked proudly.

I grinned slightly, "The armor is a bit flashy, but I like it." It _did _look pretty damn cool.

He shrugged, "And the Royal?"

I stared into the aqua marine jewels on the handle of my weapon, "I love it."

He slapped me on my back with his usual force, causing me to lose my balance and fall to my knees. He burst into laughter, "I thought you would. You're relatively cheap to shop for, Haru-kun."

"Cheap?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

He nodded, still smiling, "Yup. That whole set only cost around 5 or 6 thousand Col."

Sheathing the blade, I mumbled, "Ya don't say."

"Well, that concludes today's ceremony, ladies and gents," Maxis announced, and the crowd began to disperse into the main lobby. Banto and Keiga stood out in the crowd, waving and and yelling, "Congratulations!".

I glanced back to where Maxis was, but noticed he had somehow already disappeared. I sighed, unable to thank him fully for the apartment. I looked towards Lucy, who beamed up at me, giving me two thumbs up.


End file.
